George Santos expelled from Congress

(J Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

George Santos expelled from Congress

Erin B Logan

Dec. 1, 2023

Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican facing felony charges

in connection with for

fraud, money laundering and other crimes, was expelled from the House of Representatives

on

On Friday, he became only the sixth lawmaker ever to be forcibly removed from the House.

The vote is a dramatic bookend to Santos’ 10-month tenure in Washington, following media revelations and a House Ethics Committee report that said Santos fabricated much of his biography, deceived donors and spent campaign money to finance a lavish lifestyle, including purchases. Botox injections, Only Fans subscriptions and personal travel.

The vote was 311-114. Although Democrats voted overwhelmingly to oust Santos, 114 Republicans voted to save him. Two Democrats voted against expulsion, and two voted present.

A two-thirds majority was required for the vote to pass.

Two previous attempts to expel Santos failed after most Republicans and some Democrats expressed opposition to expelling a member who had not been convicted of a crime. But the House Ethics Committee’s damning 56-page report, which found “overwhelming evidence of his misconduct,” shifted votes away from the New York lawmaker.

Santos has denied wrongdoing and attributed his removal to petty comments made by his colleagues. He said he did not receive a fair trial because he was not convicted of the charges against him.

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives refused to crack the whip

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Colleagues for or against Santos ahead of Friday’s vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) allowed Republicans to “vote their conscience” but said he was concerned about setting a modern-day precedent by expelling a member who has not been convicted of a federal crime. Johnson voted against ousting Santos, along with other leaders including Majority Whip Tom Emmer

by

Minnesota, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York.

Evictions, which require a two-thirds majority to pass, are rare. During the Civil War, three members of the House were removed for supporting the Confederacy. Two others were expelled after being convicted on corruption charges: Democratic Rep. Michael J. Ozzie Myers of Pennsylvania in 1980 and James A. Traficant Jr. from Ohio in 2002.

Santos’ removal reduces the Republicans’ hold on the House, leaving the party with only a seven-vote majority.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) led the first effort to oust Santos in February after details of Santos’ fabrications came to light. The measure, which ultimately prompted a formal investigation by the House Ethics Committee, failed to gain enough support from the Republican Party to reach the two-thirds majority needed for expulsion.

The second attempt to impeach Santos came last month from Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), whose resolution failed by a vote of 213 to 179, with only 24 Republicans voting against Santos, while 31 Democrats voted against the removal votes, including Democratic Rep. California’s Mark Takano of Riverside, Katie Porter of Irvine and Zoe Lofgren of San Jose. Democratic representatives. Mark DeSaulnier of Concord, Ami Bera of Elk Grove, Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles and Brad Sherman of Northridge voted present, while two California Republicans Mike Garcia and Kevin Kiley voted to impeach Santos in November.

Lofgren said she found Santos’ “conduct disgraceful” but voted to keep him in the chamber during the second vote because the ethics investigation had not yet been completed.

On Friday, all members of the California House voted to expel Santos. BILL

Democrats have rebuked the Republican Party for its delay in bringing Santos to justice. Garcia, in an interview with The Times on Wednesday, praised his maneuver earlier this week to force House Republicans to take swift action against Santos this week. Garcia and much of the room had pushed Santos to avoid an embarrassing vote on the floor and resign, but Santos refused.

“He could be doing the country and his constituents a service if he would only resign.

Garcia said before the explosion vote. “Someone who makes up his entire life story and is elected based on a lie should not be in Congress.”

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