![]() In May, Republicans under then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California sidestepped the Democratic-led effort to expel Santos. The consequences and precedents of not expelling him for his lies and fraud has the potential to do far more damage to this institution." Santos has said expelling him before he is formally charged and found guilty would create a new precedent in this body, one that could have negative consequences for generations," LaLota said. The resolution said he deceived voters regarding his biography and is "not fit to serve his constituents as United States Representative." Mr. The New York Republicans laid out in their expulsion resolution the array of charges Santos is facing in federal court, saying the charges indicated Santos engaged in serious financial fraud throughout his 2022 campaign for the House. ![]() "They just care about their reelection in one year when they know that their support for George Santos is going to be a problem." "They don't care any more about integrity or morality or the reputation of this institution than they did in May when they voted to protect Mr. He said Santos should have been expelled in May when Democrats brought an expulsion resolution, and the only reason the New York Republicans were leading the effort now was because Santos "hangs like an albatross around the necks of every single Republican from New York." The only Democratic lawmaker to speak during the debate was Rep. "It hasn't been easy, but I'm fighting by God's grace." "I'm fighting tooth and nail to clear my name in front of the entire world," Santos said. On the other side was Santos, who appealed to lawmakers to hold off on expulsion, saying that passing judgment without due process would engender mistrust. Santos is a stain on this institution and not fit to serve his constituents in the House of Representatives," D'Esposito said. ![]() Anthony D'Esposito, Nick LaLota and Mike Lawler laid out their case for expelling Santos. The House floor debate over whether to expel Santos was undertaken strictly by members of the New York congressional delegation. I think the Congress needs to take action now," Womack said. Steve Womack, R-Ark., said he believes in due process, but also thinks Santos misrepresented himself to New York voters and they never would have elected him if they had "known the true George Santos." We don't need the Santos charade all the way through the 2024 election cycle. Some Republicans, however, said they had seen enough of Santos. It would be groundbreaking for the House to kick out Santos before his case in federal court is resolved. ![]() ![]() The House has expelled only five members in its history - three during the Civil War and two after their convictions on public corruption charges. I feel like there's enough colleagues on both sides of the aisle here who understand that," Santos said after the vote.Ĭongress has rarely resorted to the most extreme punishment at its disposal. It also said the next steps of the committee's investigation would be announced by Nov. Some Democrats also voiced concerns about getting ahead of the Ethics Committee, which issued a rare memo the day before, citing the depth of its investigation with some 40 witnesses contacted and the issuance of 37 subpoenas. Johnson, R-La., also recently told Fox News that if Congress is going to expel members because they are charged with a crime or accused of wrongdoing, "that's a problem." To succeed, numerous Republican lawmakers would have had to break ranks with newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson, who has said Santos should get his day in court. Supporters could not even gain a simple majority, with the final vote being 179 for expulsion and 213 against. The effort to kick Santos out of the House was led by his fellow New York Republicans, who are anxious to distance themselves from a colleague infamous for fabricating his life story and accused of stealing from donors, lying to Congress and receiving unemployment benefits he did not deserve.īut the resolution failed to gain the required two-thirds vote. George Santos easily survived a vote Wednesday to expel him from the House as most Republicans and 31 Democrats opted to withhold punishment while both his criminal trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation proceed. ![]()
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