A US congressman has resigned from key committees on Capitol Hill after lying about his past.

After it was revealed that George Santos had made false claims about his past, he has refused to resign as a member of Congress.

He has announced that he will be temporarily rescued from his committee assignments amid increasing pressure to resign.

“With ongoing attention surrounding both personal and campaign finances investigations, I have requested that Speaker McCarthy temporarily remove me from my committee assignments while I get cleared,” he stated in a statement.

Advertisement

“This was a decision I take very seriously. Media hype must not stop the business of Congress 118th.

George Santos: What the future holds for him

“It is vital that I primarily concentrate on serving New York’s Third Congressional District constituents and providing federal representation without distraction.”

He said: “I would like to personally thank Speaker McCarthy because we had the opportunity to discuss this matter and for allowing me to clear my name before I return to my committees.”

“To my constituents”: I am committed to continuing to serve the district and delivering results for New York’s Third Congressional District as well as the American people.

Representatives member at 34 years old was appointed to positions on the congressional committees for science, small business and technology.

Although Mr. Santos was elected to House of Representatives in November of this year, his brief tenure in office has been marred by ongoing revelations of falsehoods in the backstory he wrote.

In addition to persistent questions regarding his education and past employment, Mr Santos faces separate investigations into his finances and campaign finances.

What claims have Santos made about Santos?

• Although he claimed that his grandparents survived the holocaust and genealogical research did not prove this, he maintained that they were Jewish. Later, Mr Santos claimed that he never claimed to have been Jewish and only that he was “Jewish”.
• Although he claimed that his mother was at the World Trade Centre during 9/11, immigration records prove she wasn’t there.
• Employers that he listed on his resume discredit his claim of being a Wall Street banker.
• He claimed he was a New York Baruch College volleyball star, but the college denied that it had any record.
• Brazilian drag performers claim they are still able to recall Mr Santos’s role as a drag queen named Kitara Ravache. When asked, Mr Santos said he had only “fun at festivals”.

“Deceit lies fabrication”

Both Republicans and his Democrat adversaries have called for Mr Santos’ resignation as a congressman.

Local Republicans in New York’s Nassau County have called for his resignation, calling his election campaign “deceitful, lies, and fabrication”.

Continue reading:

Santos accused of taking money from veteran’s fundraiser

Parallels between chaos in the USA and UK Conservatives

Santos still has the support of senior Republicans on Capitol Hill who need his seat in order to keep a small majority in the House of Representatives.