Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was suspended from Congress today as enough Republicans joined Democrats to impeach the lawmaker, who faces criminal charges and a damning Ethics Commission report.
The House vote came after Republican leaders announced their opposition to his impeachment. This raised the prospect that he could survive the vote. But in the end, there were 311 votes to suspend him, far exceeding the required two-thirds threshold: 105 Republicans and 206 Democrats voted to impeach him; 112 Republicans and two Democrats voted against the resolution. Two Democrats also voted in attendance.
Santos, with a jacket over his shoulders, left the House before the vote became official. As reporters chased him, he got into a waiting car and left the Capitol grounds. According to CNN, he said: “Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place.”
Even before he was sworn into Congress in January, Santos drew widespread attention when revelations emerged about the falsification of his resume and background. He already faces criminal charges, and the Justice Department filed a number of other charges against him last month, including wire fraud and identity theft. He pleaded not guilty.
He survived an earlier ouster vote, but efforts to oust him gained new momentum after the House Ethics Committee released a report on his use of campaign funds. The report concluded that he “attempted to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his candidacy for the House of Representatives for his personal financial gain.” The report also concluded that he “cannot be trusted.”
Santos is the sixth House member to be expelled from the House. The last, Rep. James Traficant (D-OH), was executed in 2002 after being convicted of bribery and other charges. Some members who opposed Santos’ impeachment said that despite the ethics report, the House should wait for the outcome of his trial before removing him from office.
His fall means that the Republican Party only has a three-seat majority.
Santos’ ouster means a special election will be held to fill his seat, giving Democrats another chance to chip away at Republicans’ already slim majority.
Santos this week called Congress corrupt as it faced the ouster vote while appearing at a news conference on Capitol grounds Thursday morning. He later got into an argument with another Republican member of the House of Representatives when lawmakers discussed the resolution to expel him. “You, sir, are a fraud,” said Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), to which Santos responded, “The same colleague accused of being a womanizer,” referring to his ex-girlfriend’s allegations, former White. House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Miller denied the allegations.
On Friday, just before the vote, Miller sent a message to House Republicans alleging that Santos’ campaign made unauthorized charges to his personal credit card and that of his mother.
Rep. Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) told reporters, “I understand the precedent that some members feel sets a precedent that members can be removed from Congress without conviction.” In recent years, many members chose to resign rather than force Congress to vote on expulsion. But if you look at the report and re-read these findings, you will find substantial evidence of multiple violations that clearly supported deportation in my case. We followed the Constitution on how it would play out.”
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
