House to Decide on Expulsion of GOP Rep. George Santos

Washington — The House is set to decide embattled GOP Rep. George Santos' expulsion from the lower chamber. This marks the third attempt since May to oust the New York Republican and comes two weeks after the House Ethics Committee released a damning report finding "substantial evidence" that Santos repeatedly broke the law.

Santos, if expelled, would be just the sixth House member in U.S. history to face such action and the first in more than 20 years. Previously, Rep. James Traficant was removed from office in 2002 after being convicted of 10 corruption-related felonies.

The resolution to expel Santos was debated in the House on Thursday, and a final vote is scheduled for Friday morning.

Santos' surprising victory in the 2022 midterm elections initially helped Republicans gain control of the House. However, he quickly became an embarrassment for the party when it was discovered that he had fabricated or exaggerated significant portions of his biography.

A politician, who has been charged with fraud, money laundering, and other crimes, is facing potential expulsion from the House. The politician, George Santos, has pleaded not guilty to the 23 federal charges he now faces. Despite concerns over the party's slim majority and reservations about expelling Santos without a conviction, the Ethics Committee has released a report stating that the scope of the violations is highly unusual and damning. Santos has responded to the potential ouster by saying he would wear his expulsion "like a badge of honor" and criticizing the lack of due process in the current political climate.

The Ethics Committee released a report stating that the scope of the violations is highly unusual and damning. It is not uncommon for Committee investigations to involve multiple allegations and a pattern of misconduct, but the extent of the violations in this case is particularly significant.

The Expulsion Effort against Santos

An investigation has revealed that Santos, a political figure, has been accused of funneling large sums of money through his campaign and businesses for personal expenses. The report states that he used the funds to pay for Botox injections and made purchases at high-end stores like Hermès and Ferragamo. Shockingly, campaign money was also used to make payments on the adult website OnlyFans, as well as for meals, parking, travel, and rent. Additionally, it is alleged that Santos diverted money to pay down his personal credit cards.

Furthermore, investigators have discovered that Santos repeatedly made false claims about his education, career, family history, and even the death of his mother. His own campaign staff even labeled him as a "fabulist" due to his penchant for telling lies, which was concerning enough for them to encourage him to seek treatment.

Investigators also revealed that Santos disregarded warnings from his staff regarding issues with his campaign's bookkeeping. His former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty in October.

The Attempt to Expel Santos

This marks the third attempt to expel Santos from Congress, coming just weeks after he survived a previous effort to oust him.

In May, Santos survived his first expulsion attempt, when Democrats sought to remove him from Congress after he was first charged. Republicans blocked that effort and instead referred the matter to the Ethics Committee.

Five GOP lawmakers from the Empire State — all facing competitive races next year — renewed the effort to expel him in October after he was hit with more charges, calling it a "moral" issue that transcended short-term political considerations. But the vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed under the Constitution to oust a member, since most Republicans and 31 Democrats withheld support for punishing him while the Ethics Committee investigation and his criminal trial proceeded.

The release of the Ethics Committee report opened the floodgates for lawmakers to embrace expelling Santos. Republican Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, the chairman of the Ethics Committee, introduced a resolution to oust him before lawmakers left Washington for Thanksgiving. Once the House returned, Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, introduced a separate resolution as "privileged," meaning the House would be required to vote on it within two days.

But Republicans did move forward. GOP Rep. Anthony D'Esposito of New York brought up Guest's resolution as privileged, and a vote was scheduled for Friday.

"This is bullying," Santos said Thursday of Guest's measure.

Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the Ethics Committee, said later Thursday that Santos "is not a victim." 

"He is a perpetrator of a massive fraud on his constituents and the American people," she said. 

"I hear a lot the line, 'I encourage Rep. Santos to resign. Do the right thing, which is resign.' What I hear is people don't want to take this vote," Santos said Thursday. 

Santos said

His criminal trial is set to begin Sept. 9.