WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Wednesday that embattled freshman GOP Rep. George Santos, who is facing growing calls to resign after admitting to fabricating much of his personal biography, should not be seated on any top House committees.
“No,” McCarthy said emphatically as he headed into a GOP Steering Committee meeting where members are deciding which colleagues should serve on certain committees.
As speaker, McCarthy leads the influential Steering panel.
Jan. 11, 202303:44
Lawmakers of both political stripes argue that seating Santos on committees could be a national security risk. Democrats say that McCarthy and the leadership team shouldn’t seat Santos on any committees, while some Republicans agree with McCarthy: Keep Santos off the panels that handle the most sensitive, classified information.
Santos “probably shouldn’t be on Intelligence or HASC” — the House Armed Services Committee, said one House Republican who frequently handles classified documents and information. The Small Business Committee “would be fine,” the member added.
Santos, who won the race for a newly drawn New York district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens in November, is facing immense pressure to resign just days after being sworn into office.
Local, state and federal officials have launched various investigations into whether he committed any crimes related to his personal finances, fundraising and lying about his life story. And on Tuesday, two New York Democratic lawmakers hand-delivered a complaint to Santos that they had filed with the House Ethics Committee, seeking an investigation into his “failure to file timely, accurate and complete financial disclosure reports.”
Santos has conceded that he overstated and embellished key aspects of his background but has given no indication that he plans to resign. He’s open to any committee assignments the Steering panel gives him.
“I’ll take whatever I get. I’m not a picky person. I came here to serve the people,” Santos told reporters who were staking out his office on Tuesday.
“I’ve done nothing unethical.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Kyle Stewart and Kate Santaliz contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
