A historic vote removed Republican Representative George Santos from the House on Friday made him the sixth politician to ever face expulsion from the body. Santos is from New York.
The vote ends the freshman New York congressman’s turbulent and scandal-ridden time on Capitol Hill. A lawmaker can be punished with expulsion, the highest penalty in the House. It is very unusual and has a high hurdle to overcome: a two-thirds majority vote.
The latest effort to remove Santos gained steam following the release of a long-awaited report by the House Ethics Committee, which stated that the congressman had “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidature for his own personal financial profit.” Although Santos had previously weathered attacks, they were more effective.
With the support of 105 Republicans and the resounding majority of Democrats, the resolution was approved by a vote of 311 to 114. Two Democrats cast their ballots in opposition, while two others remained silent.
Following the expulsion vote, Santos told AWN, “It’s over.”
That “the House spoke” was Santos’ response. Their vote is that. They have now given themselves a new, perhaps disastrous precedent.
“This place is a joke,” he muttered.
In response to the ethics report’s release, Santos declared he would not run for reelection; nevertheless, he had previously refused to step down and had criticised the probe as “a disgusting politicised smear.”
Allegations of fraud with Covid-19 unemployment benefits, misuse of campaign cash, and falsifying information about his own finances on House transparency reports are among the 23 federal accusations to which the New York Republican has separately pled not guilty.
Not only does Santos have legal troubles, but reports that he falsified his resume and biography, among other things, have shocked and scandalised lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Even though he was facing expulsion, Santos remained obstinate, claiming he was the victim of bullying and that the House should not expel him since his innocence would establish a terrible precedent.
Republicans examine their voting options
It was unclear before the vote whether there would be sufficient support to remove the congressman from office, but several Republicans who had previously opposed Santos’ expulsion stated they would vote to do so in light of the ethics panel’s findings.
Lawmakers from the Republican Party were divided on how to vote in response to the expulsion vote.
In view of the results of the ethics probe, several Republicans have stated that Santos’s expulsion is necessary. But some have voiced worries about Santos’s right to due process, since he is still fighting an ongoing legal struggle and has not yet been found guilty.
As he handled conflicting sentiments within his conference, newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson faced a leadership challenge with the revived effort to remove Santos. There is already a razor-thin majority among Republicans in the House, and their power would be severely diminished in the event of expulsion.
The motion to remove Santos was rejected by Johnson and three other senior Republicans in the House.
Reporters were informed by Johnson on Wednesday morning that the team has not whipped the vote and has no plans to do so. I have faith that individuals will make that choice with all due consideration and honesty. In my opinion, this could set a dangerous precedent, so I’m rather hesitant to do it.
Criticising report released by House Ethics Committee
Following an investigation of Santos’ conduct, a significant report was released in November by the House Ethics Committee.
Santos is already facing criminal charges, but the ethics committee has found more “uncharged and unlawful conduct” on his side. They have decided to send the charges to the Justice Department for more examination.
The panel found “substantial evidence” that the congressman from New York abused his position to pay for his own personal expenses.
In relation to financial disclosure statements submitted to the House, Santos “knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission,” and the panel found that he engaged in “knowing and willful violations.”
“Public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House.” The committee stated without recommending disciplinary action that the congressman’s behaviour deserves.
Extremely uncommon ejection from the House
Santos is the first member of the House to be expelled without a conviction or Confederate support, and he becomes the sixth politician to ever be ousted from the house as a result of the expulsion vote.
Expulsion from the House has occurred only five times in its history. Support for the Confederacy was the reason for the removal of three out of five expelled lawmakers from the House throughout history.
Following his conviction on federal corruption charges, Democratic Representative James Traficant of Ohio was voted out of office in 2002, marking the most recent instance of expulsion in the House.
The revelation of the ethics report on Santos’s conduct followed earlier unsuccessful attempts to oust the representative.
Rejecting Santos’s attempt to be expelled, Republicans took the lead in early November. In an effort to protect his “the presumption of innocence,” Santos spoke out before the vote.
The House sent Santos’s expulsion proposal to the Ethics Committee in May after a vote by Democrats.
