House of Representatives' Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the
freshman lawmaker asked if he could recuse himself from his
committee assignments while he works to clear up an ethics
cloud. McCarthy called it an "appropriate decision."
"The voters have elected him," McCarthy told reporters. "He'll
have a voice here in Congress. And until he answers all those
(ethics) questions, then at that time, he'll be able to be
seated on committees."
The embattled congressman has faced calls from fellow New York
Republicans to step down over fabrications about his career and
history.
Santos, who announced his decision in a closed-door meeting with
fellow Republican lawmakers, has rebuffed calls for his
resignation, saying he would vacate his seat only if he loses
the next election.
"He just said he recused himself for a while and then he'll come
back," Representative Don Bacon told reporters.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan and David Morgan; Writing by Paul
Grant; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Tim Ahmann)
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