The GOP-led House Steering Committee has been hard at work doling out committee assignments ever since they were seated. This has resulted in some perhaps unsurprising shifts in the House, with Democrats protesting the seating of members like Marjorie Taylor Greene in some choice positions while some of their own members were left out in the cold. But a bit of a surprise arrived yesterday when we learned that notorious liar George Santos of New York was given two seats, despite the ongoing investigation into falsehoods he claimed on his resume and whether or not he may have been guilty of campaign finance violations. Over the objections of some members of his own party, Santos was awarded seats on the Science, Space and Technology committee and the Small Business committee. Needless to say, there are some eyebrows being raised as a result. (NBC News)

House Republicans on Tuesday awarded embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., seats on two House committees, even as he faces federal, state and local investigations and fellow Republicans demand that he resign.

The GOP Steering Committee, which is led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy and doles out committee assignments, voted to give Santos slots on the Science, Space and Technology committee and the Small Business committee, which are two of the lower profile panels on Capitol Hill.

Small Business Chairman Roger Williams, R-Texas, confirmed Santos’s appointment to his panel. Two GOP sources said Santos would also serve on the Science committee.

I suppose I can see at least some merit in this decision, though it pains me to say it. Santos hasn’t actually been convicted of anything yet, so denying him any seat at any table could be seen as preemptive, though the optics are still horrible. Also, it could have been worse. As several members pointed out, it could have been disastrous to try to assign him to any committees handling secret materials. With that in mind, he was kept away from the Intelligence and Armed Services committees. Some of his critics were the ones to suggest the two seats he was awarded as less damaging alternatives.

But given what we’ve learned about Santos thus far, these assignments still seem confounding. The House Science Committee deals with, well… science. And science is supposed to be based on truth and reality. (Not that you can tell that when looking at the CDC these days.) George Santos isn’t exactly the poster child for either.

And the Small Business Committee? Would that be similar to the “small business” that Santos established in Florida that went from having no assets in late 2020 to supposedly having tens of millions of dollars months later with no explanation as to where the money came from? Well… perhaps Santos is more of a small business expert than we realized. (Or perhaps he’s just a crook. Time will tell.)

None of this will matter if Santos is found to have broken FEC campaign finance laws. He won’t just be off of those committees. He’ll almost certainly be out of the House entirely. But while we wait for that situation to ripen, yet another bizarre claim has arisen regarding Congressman Santos’ past. Is it possible that George stole $3,000 from a GoFundMe account for a veteran’s dying dog? That’s what’s being claimed this week by a disabled Navy veteran.

Veteran Richard Osthoff was homeless and living with his service dog Sapphire in 2016 when he learned that the beloved pooch had developed a life-threatening tumor and would require surgery that would cost $3,000. Osthoff claims he was steered toward someone named Anthony Devolder (an alias that Santos used) who ran a pet charity that might be able to help. According to Osthoff, Santos used his “charity” to set up a GoFundMe account for Sapphire and raised the required money, but then closed the account and “disappeared.”

Is it true? There seems to be a lot of evidence and testimony supporting the claim. And given the rest of his history, would you really be surprised if it were?