Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has been expelled from Congress after the second attempt in two months. Santos was indicted on federal charges by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for campaign finance violations, fraud, and other crimes earlier this year. This second expulsion resolution was brought by Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), who chairs the House Ethics Committee. Two weeks ago, Rep. Guest’s committee released its final report on Santos, referring the New York Republican to the DOJ after concluding he engaged in “unlawful conduct.”
HOUSE HAS EXPELLED SANTOS
311-114-2
105 R YES VOTES
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 1, 2023
On Thursday, Members of the House of Representatives took to the floor to debate the expulsion resolution against Santos. While not defending Santos’s actions, several Members of Congress – including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Clay Higgins (R-LA) expressed reservations about expulsion since the Congressman had not yet been convicted on any federal charges. They argued expelling a Member of Congress prior to conviction would set a dangerous precedent and was fundamentally undemocratic as it rejected the will of the voters of said Member’s district.
Rep. Max Miller(R-OH) – one of George Santos’s most vocal critics – broke House decorum when he addressed the New York Republican directly on the floor, calling him a crook. Earlier today, in a letter to colleagues, Rep. Miller explained his outburst, stating: “Earlier this year I learned that the Santos campaign had charged my personal credit card – and the persona card of my Mother… Neither my Mother nor I approved these charges…”.
Santos is only the sixth member in history to be expelled, joining Confederate soldiers John Clark, John Reid, and Henry Burnett as well as bribery convicts Michael Myers and James Traficant.
