A House Democrat has presented a privileged resolution to oust Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) brought attention to the resolution during a speech on the House floor, with Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) co-leading the initiative alongside Garcia.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) introduces a resolution to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress. pic.twitter.com/o9RBYO2dIA
— The Recount (@therecount) November 28, 2023
Since it is a privileged item, the House is obligated to address it within two legislative days. Consequently, the House Republican majority will be compelled to vote on the resolution to expel Santos from Congress, potentially diminishing the already tenuous Republican majority. Santos has declared his intention to face the expulsion vote on the House floor, as stated in a Tuesday announcement.
“Setting the record straight,” Santos posted in response to a report about his meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
“My conversation with the speaker was positive and I told him [I’d] be standing for the expulsion vote.”
“Expel me and set the precedent so we can see who the judge, jury, and executioners in Congress are,” he continued.
“The American people deserve to know!”
Setting the record straight, My conversation with the speaker was positive and I told him id be standing for the expulsion vote.
Expel me and set the precedent so we can see who the judge, jury and executioners in Congress are.
The American people deserve to know! https://t.co/vWhQyFWn0O
— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) November 27, 2023
Earlier this month, Santos declared that he would not seek re-election to Congress. This decision followed a damning House Ethics Committee report that accused Santos of misusing campaign funds for personal purposes and engaging in fraudulent conduct, among other allegations.
In the comprehensive 56-page report, a bipartisan subcommittee unanimously found Santos guilty of knowingly causing his campaign committee to submit false or incomplete reports to the Federal Election Commission, using campaign funds for personal expenses, engaging in fraudulent conduct with RedStone Strategies LLC, and committing knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act related to his Financial Disclosure Statements filed with the House.
The report revealed that $50,000 in campaign donations were wired to Santos’s personal account on October 21, 2022. Allegedly, these funds were used for various personal expenses, including paying down credit card bills, making a purchase at Hermes for $4,127.80, and smaller expenditures at OnlyFans, Sephora, as well as for meals and parking.
If Santos is expelled, it would be the first instance of a lawmaker being removed from the House since the expulsion of Democrat Rep. Jim Traficant (D-OH) in 2002. Traficant was expelled after being convicted on 10 felony counts, including bribery and racketeering. Notably, all five expulsions in the House’s history were Democrats, making Santos potentially the first Republican to face expulsion from the chamber.