WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., said Tuesday he will recuse himself from his committee assignments until his ongoing ethics issues are resolved.
Santos, who has admitted to lying about much of his background and has faced numerous calls to resign from Congress, was assigned seats on the House Small Business and Science committees. He shared his decision during a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning with the House GOP Conference, Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., told reporters at a press conference afterward.
Santos told his colleagues that he was stepping aside from committees “to prevent from being a distraction,” according to lawmakers in the room.
A spokesperson for Santos confirmed his decision to NBC News.
“He has reserved to see it until he has been cleared up both campaign and personal financial investigations,” the spokesperson said.
The embattled congressman met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Monday night.
The GOP Steering Committee, which is led by McCarthy and doles out committee assignments, voted earlier this month to give Santos slots on the panels, which are two of the lower-profile ones on Capitol Hill.
Members of both parties had expressed concerns about Santos having access to classified information through his work on committees. At the same time, all lawmakers are able to periodically sit in on classified briefings such as those provided by administration officials.
In a poll released Tuesday from Newsday and Siena College, 71% of voters in Santos’ district said McCarthy should not have seated Santos on the two committees and 78% said they believed he should resign from Congress.
Last week, McCarthy said that while he stands by Santos, the freshman congressman will be removed from office if the House Ethics Committee finds he broke the law.
Santos has faced intense scrutiny after The New York Times published a bombshell investigation in December indicating that much of his résumé appeared to have been manufactured, including claims that he owned numerous properties, was previously employed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and had graduated from Baruch College. He has also lied about how his mother was at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Santos is also under investigation by the Nassau County district attorney and federal prosecutors in New York. Law enforcement sources have said federal authorities are examining his finances, including potential irregularities involving financial disclosures and loans he made to his campaign. The state attorney general’s office has also said it’s “looking into a number of issues” regarding Santos.
The congressman has repeatedly said he plans to explain the inconsistencies but has not followed through on those promises.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.