Rep. George Santos says he won’t serve on House committees while investigations are ongoing

Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos will not serve on the two House committees to which he was assigned until a slew of investigations into his campaign and personal finances have concluded, he said in a statement Tuesday.

The freshman lawmaker said he asked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to temporarily recuse him from the committees until he is “cleared” of the probes. “It is important that I primarily focus on serving the constituents of New York’s Third Congressional District and providing federal level representation without distraction,” Santos said.

Santos informed his Republican colleagues of his decision during a closed-door conference meeting in Washington, D.C., earlier Tuesday, according to a longtime GOP lawmaker who was in the room. This person declined to be named to discuss private conversations.

The move marks one of the first tangible repercussions Santos has faced in the months since he admitted fabricating key details about his biography.

But he insisted that the decision does not mean he will step down. “No, I’m not” considering resigning, Santos told a reporter Tuesday morning as he rushed back to his office.