WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Representative George Santos, who has faced calls from fellow New York state Republicans to step down after fabricating much of his resume, is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.
“Ethics is moving through, and if Ethics finds something, we’ll take action,” McCarthy told the cable news outlet when asked about Santos’ constituents calling on him to resign.
The probe had not previously been confirmed.
Santos told fellow Republican lawmakers last week he would not serve on committees for now, lawmakers said.
McCarthy said then that 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.”
Santos has rebuffed calls for his resignation, saying he would vacate his seat only if he loses the next election.
Santos is the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat in Congress as a non-incumbent, but has positioned himself as a staunch conservative on many social issues.
The congressman last month denied claims that he performed as a drag queen in Brazil as “categorically false.”
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu)
