Despite his lies, controversial Republican Congressman George Santos has been given seats on two committees in the US House of Representatives. The Republican judging panel, led by new chamber speaker Kevin McCarthy, voted to give Santos places on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee, US media unanimously reported. Although the posts still have to be confirmed by the Republicans in the House of Representatives, they usually agree to the recommendations made.
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Small Business are among the lesser-known congressional bodies. According to the US broadcaster CNN, Santos had campaigned for leading Republicans to work on two other high-profile committees, one on oversight of the financial sector and another on foreign policy. However, this was rejected as some committee chairmen were reluctant to include him.
Santos was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in the congressional elections in November and was soon exposed as an impostor by the New York Times. The 34-year-old claimed to have been an "experienced investor on Wall Street". However, his alleged employer stated that Santos was never employed there. The newspaper was also unable to verify his university degree. Santos is also said to have lied to the public about his family history and alleged Jewish background, as well as his financial circumstances. The New York prosecutor's office therefore began investigations in December.
Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams defended Santos' appointment to his committee. Williams told NBC News that he did not agree with what the 34-year-old said and did, and that he did not agree with any of it. "But at the same time he's on the committee. We have to abide by rules. He represents about a million people in New York. [...] We're going to have a lot to do and we're going to do some good things and he's going to be a be part of it."
Santos himself only admitted in an interview that he had "embellished" his CV. He refuses to give up his position as a member of parliament. Even the Republican leadership in his constituency in Nassau County, New York, called on him to "immediately resign" last week, declaring that Santos had "disgraced the House of Representatives" and should not be of public service.
However, a resignation of Santos would be problematic for the Republicans in the House of Representatives, because the party only has a wafer-thin majority there. If the newly elected MP were to leave, his constituency would have to be reelected - and then the Democrats could possibly take the seat and the Republican majority would be even smaller. Democrat and current US President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Nassau County.
Sources: NBC News, "New York Times", CNN
