George Santoshas been expelled from the U.S. House of Representativesin an exceedingly rare move reserved for serious misconduct.
Through a 311-114vote on Friday, the first-term Republican became only the sixth of more than 11,000 U.S. representatives in history to be ousted from Congress' lower chamber.
Santos — who wasmired in controversyeven before his January swearing-in — entered the national spotlight on a rocky note, as story after story cropped up about himlying about his past, allegations ofrunning fraudulent schemesaccumulated, and a prospective staffer accused him ofmaking unwanted sexual advances.
The Republican was hit with a23-count federal indictmentearlier this year thattells a similar narrative, featuring a variety of theft and fraud charges involving his congressional campaign. (Santospleaded not guiltyto each of the criminal charges and has not yet gone to trial.)
New York Rep. George Santos at the U.S. Capitol in April 2023.Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty
Just one month ago, fellow New York Republicans mounted an expulsion campaign against Santos in response to the federal charges. The effort overwhelminglyfailed to succeed in a 179-213 vote(to expel a member of Congress, a two-thirds vote is required).
But Santos' situation changed shortly after surviving the previous expulsion attempt, when the House Ethics Committee delivered a final blow to the newcomer’s congressional career.
“Representative George Santos cannot be trusted,” reads a Nov. 16 House Ethics report, summarizing the findings of its longstanding probe into Santos' conduct. “At nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles.”
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP
The report explains that the subcommittee investigating Santos “unanimously concluded that there was substantial evidence” that he “knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct … and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House.”
Embattled first-term Congressman George Santos.MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
With Guest’s endorsement, many House members who previously voted against ousting Santos announced that they had changed their minds, even as Republicans fear that Democrats will take back his seat in the closely divided chamber, and as GOP leaders assert that expelling pre-conviction sets a dangerous precedent.
On Nov. 24, Santos admitted that his tenure in the House appeared to be rapidly approaching its end.
“I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor,” he told conservative media personality Monica Matthews in an X Space. “I have done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good.”
In the same conversation, he vowed to wear his ousting “like a badge of honor.”
Embattled Rep. George Santos speaks to reporters after an expulsion resolution was referred to the House Ethics panel in May 2023.Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty
Of the five House members previously expelled from Congress, three were ousted for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War.
The next expulsion came 119 years later, in 1980, when the House voted 376-30 in support of ousting Pennsylvania Democrat Michael Myers after he was convicted of bribery. And in 2002, Ohio Democrat James Traficant was expelled in a 420-1 vote following his conviction on 10 felony counts, including bribery and falsifying tax returns.
Over in the U.S. Senate, 15 members have been expelled — onefor treasonin 1797 and 14 for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War. No U.S. senators have been successfully expelled in modern times.
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In the wake of Santos' expulsion, New York Gov.Kathy Hochulis tasked with scheduling a special election to fill his seat. Hochul recently said that she would be “happy” to see him leave Congress, and would call for a special election to be held within 70 to 80 days of him vacating.
The congressman whom Santos succeeded, Democratic Rep.Tom Suozzi, previously announced plans to reclaim the seat in 2024, and appears a likely candidate for the special election, as well.
source: people.com
