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The House of Representatives, in a historic move, voted on Friday to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who has been mired in scandal, marking the first expulsion of a House lawmaker in over two decades.
A solemn atmosphere enveloped the House chamber as Speaker Johnson wielded the gavel, formalizing the unprecedented removal. Santos chose to exit the chamber just before the decisive votes were cast, evading questions from reporters.
Expelling a member of Congress necessitates a two-thirds majority vote, and this marks the first such expulsion since former Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, was ousted in 2002 after being convicted of 10 felony counts, including racketeering and bribery.
While Santos has not faced a criminal conviction, he currently faces indictment on 23 counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, and credit card fraud. Accusations include the misuse of campaign funds for luxury items and treatments such as botox, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
The bipartisan vote of 311 to 114, with slightly more Republicans favoring retention, underscores the significance of the decision. Speaker Johnson declined to address reporters’ queries, including whether Santos’ exit and the subsequent slimmer GOP majority would impact Republicans’ stance on the ongoing government spending dispute.
Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer emphasized the non-partisan nature of the expulsion, stating, “This was not a partisan effort,” and emphasizing that House members concluded Santos had defamed the institution and was unfit to represent constituents.
Opinions within the House GOP on expelling Santos varied. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., expressed concerns about the expulsion potentially infringing on Santos’s presumption of innocence, drawing parallels to Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., facing bribery accusations but remaining in the Senate.
Conversely, some, particularly the New York Republican delegation to which Santos belongs, asserted that ample evidence existed for his expulsion. Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., stated, “I believe… that George Santos has committed crimes. He’s defrauded voters, taxpayers, and donors… and has met the threshold not to serve the House.”
