Ethics

George Santos Survives Expulsion Vote

NOV 2 2023·Updated NOV 3 2023

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The Facts

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) on Wednesday survived a vote to expel him from the House of Representatives, as 31 Democrats joined most Republicans to withhold punishment while the embattled congressman faces his criminal trial and House Ethics Committee investigation.
ap
Last week, five of Santos' fellow New York Republicans — Reps. Anthony D'Esposito, Marc Molinaro, Nick LaLota, Brandon Williams, and Mike Lawler — introduced a privileged resolution to expel their colleague who has been caught lying about his personal history and faces 23 federal indictments on embezzlement and fraud charges.
New York Post
Two-thirds of the House is required to expel a sitting member, and only 179 voted in favor of expulsion, with 213 against and 19 voting "present." 24 Republicans joined 155 Democrats to vote against Santos. New House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says Santos deserved "due process," and many Republicans want to see how the House investigation unfolds before making a decision.
NBC
Santos said the vote wasn't a victory for him, but rather, it was a victory for due process. The Long Island congressman pled not guilty to all charges, including wire fraud, credit card fraud, aggravated identity theft, and falsifying records, however, his former campaign treasurer pled guilty to fraud charges and claims she helped Santos embellish his finances during his run.
Daily Mail
In addition to his trial set for Sept. 9, 2024, Santos is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, which has contacted 40 witnesses, reviewed more than 170K pages of documents, and authorized 37 subpoenas. The panel will announce its next steps by Nov. 17.
Reuters
Santos' removal was unlikely given the GOP's slim majority and the fact that only five representatives in US history have ever been expelled — three during the Civil War and two after they were convicted on public corruption charges. Expelling Santos while his case is still in progress would have been unprecedented.
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The Spin

Republican narrative

While George Santos certainly isn't out of the woods with his impending federal trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation into his alleged campaign finance charges, the congressman was rightfully allowed to continue serving in the House. Every American is owed due process, and there's a reason why no representative has been expelled while their trial was still ongoing. Expelling Santos would have set a bad precedent, and his fate will be determined by the justice system in due course.

FOX News

Democratic narrative

George Santos is arguably the most problematic member of Congress, yet he managed to survive expulsion despite members from his own party — and some Democrats — and state urging his removal. Santos deceived his constituents by lying about his education in addition to reprehensible fabrications about his grandparents surviving the Holocaust and his mother dying on 9/11. Now Santos faces criminal charges and a congressional investigation. That definitely sounds like sufficient grounds for expulsion.