Despite a revolving door of lies on everything from his business experience to his role in scientific breakthroughs, it appears Rep. George Santos (R-NY) will be given seats on the House Small Business Committee and the Science Committee.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed Tuesday that Santos would be seated on House committees, but didn’t specify which ones. Last week, he insisted it wouldn’t be any top committees like Appropriations, Ways and Means, Financial Services or Energy and Commerce.
Yet on Tuesday it emerged that he had been appointed to the Small Business and Science committees, two lower-profile House panels, according to NBC News.
And he would not be assigned to the Ethics Committee, member Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) told CNN with a chuckle Tuesday.
Still, Santos may be an odd fit for the science committee. He has, among other things, been caught making dubious claims about recovering from a brain tumor, surviving one of New York state’s very first confirmed case of COVID, and helping to develop carbon capture technology.
His experience with small businesses is questionable, too. He’s been caught fabricating most of his supposed business experience, including stints working for top financial firms like Goldman Sachs—and his supposedly “extensive role” in the gas and oil industry.
Reporters have only been able to confirm two jobs Santos has held: working for a call center in 2011 and a company that has since been accused of being a Ponzi scheme.
McCarthy argued Tuesday that voters sent Santos to serve in Congress—and that he wouldn’t take action independent of official proceedings.
“I try to stick by the Constitution. The voters elected him to serve. If there is a concern, and he has to go through the Ethics [Committee], let him move through that,” he said.
But he also conceded that he “always had a few questions” about Santos’ résumé, especially when a Santos campaign staffer started impersonating a McCarthy’s chief of staff in calls to potential donors.
“My staff raised concerns when he had a staff member who impersonated my chief of staff, and that individual was let go when Mr. Santos found out about it,” he told reporters.
Santos supported McCarthy’s speakership bid as it went through a chaotic 15 rounds of voting earlier this month.
