The House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, because of ethical violations. The final vote tally was 311-114. Santos is only the sixth member of Congress to be expelled and the first in over twenty years.
The New York Congressman has been embattled over the past several weeks as rumblings about his alleged abuse of campaign funds circulated in the media. These rumors resulted in Republican Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest filing a resolution to expel Santos before the Thanksgiving break. The resolution was led by other New York Republican congressmen, who called Santos "not fit to serve" as they brought the House to a vote.
That original resolution failed, with 179 voting in favor of expulsion, 213 against, and 19 voting present. Of the votes, just 24 Republicans voted for his removal. In contrast, 182 voted against it, many citing the need for time and due process to investigate Santos's activities before casting judgment. A resolution to expel a congressman requires a two-thirds supermajority to be successful.
Santos refused to resign despite the hefty allegations, stating, "I will continue to fight to defend myself. I will continue to serve the 3rd Congressional District of New York until the people choose to not have me."
On Oct. 27, Santos pleaded not guilty to a federal corruption charge of transferring money from a political donor who contributed to his campaign to his personal bank account. Beyond the initial charge, he is accused of "stealing people's identities and making charges on his own donors' credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign," according to U.S. attorney for Eastern New York, Breon Pearce. The trial for the federal charges is set for September 2024.
The House Ethics Committee continued its independent investigation into Santos' suitability to serve as a congressman. On Nov. 16, the committee released a scathing report that showed Santos spending money on rent, personal travel, Botox and cosmetic care, and most shockingly, a subscription to an OnlyFans account with explicit sexual content.
Guest has called the amount of fraud "unprecedented" in terms of what he's seen in his position and reiterated that expulsion is the only option for this level of corruption.
Santos predicted his expulsion during a three-hour rant on X spaces, stating, "I know I'm going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor."
His expulsion will trigger a special election to replace his seat in New York, which insiders call a toss-up district because Joe Biden carried it in 2020. Even though Santos won the seat by 8% in 2022, Democrats view this as an opportunity to close the gap in the slim Republican House majority.
With the removal of Santos, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is bound by law to declare a special election within ten days, which would be held 70 to 80 days later.
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