Rep. George Santos steps down from House committees pending investigations

Meanwhile, 78% of his constituents say he should step down [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] As George Santos steps down from committee assignments, his constituents say he should resign [By David Cruz and Brigid Bergin]( [George Santos walking down a hallway followed by reporters] Shawn Thew/Shutterstock Long Island Rep. George Santos said Tuesday that he'll [step down from his two House committee assignments]( while investigations into his campaign and personal finances are underway. This comes after a private meeting yesterday with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who told reporters afterwards that Santos' recusal from the Small Business and Science, Space and Technology committees was "appropriate," [according to The Hill](. Santos currently faces multiple investigations into [a long list of mistruths relating to his personal background]( as well as investigations from local and federal law enforcement. And all the while, constituents in the 3rd Congressional District now overwhelmingly want him to resign — 78% of those surveyed exclusively within the district said he should step down, according to a [Newsday/Siena College poll]( released today. In calls to dozens of previous donors who’ve contributed at least $500 to Santos, many expressed disappointment in the revelations about him. Joseph Oppedisano, owner of Il Bacco, the [now-famed]( Italian restaurant where Santos routinely ran up a tab of exactly $199.99, donated $3,750 to Santos’ congressional campaign committee. Oppedisano told Gothamist he would not donate to Santos’ future campaign, but welcomed him and any other diner to his restaurant. "What can I say, he lied," said Oppedisano, noting he had not seen the new congressman since the new reports about his many fabrications. But he quickly added, "politicians all lie." Leslie Fastenberg, a political observer who gave $1,000 to the campaign, also expressed disappointment, though she said Santos’ lies were no novelty. “I’m always disappointed when I find out the people that we entrust with our votes are liars,” said Fastenberg. "That being said, will he vote in a way that’s satisfactory? Maybe." According to the Siena College poll, 17% of respondents did not want Santos to leave office. Paul Gulamerian, a Glen Cove resident, theorized that Santos is not going anywhere, given his party’s slim majority in the House of Representatives. "Well, people have short memories. And they're still going to look for his vote. Will he be effective in what he wants to accomplish? Probably because the simple fact that there's no majority, major majority in the House, so they're going to [be] courting him for his vote," Gulamerian said. "It’s still politics." So far, Santos has refused repeated requests to step down, and Naysa Woomer, Santos' communications director, said the congressman's decision to step back from committee work was only temporary, "until he has been properly cleared of both campaign and personal financial investigations." [Read more here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- More political headlines from Gothamist: [Gov. Kathy Hochul gives a speech about Long Island] [Gov. Hochul's ambitious housing plan meets suburban blockade]( New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to force cities to add 800,000 new homes over the next decade, with a focus on affordable units in the suburbs. Conservatives are calling it overreach. 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