Republican congressman George Santos is facing a motion for expulsion from Congress after refusing to resign, despite facing numerous charges in federal court and the release of a scathing 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee accusing him of campaign finance violations and other misconduct. Democratic Reps Robert Garcia and Dan Goldman filed a privileged resolution to expel him and under House rules, Speaker Mike Johnson must address it within two days, with a vote as soon as Wednesday. Scandal-plagued Mr Santos has previously survived two expulsion votes but is now expected to be ousted. Mr Santos defended himself by calling the investigation incomplete, irresponsible, and hyperbolic, and refusing to voluntarily resign, saying that it would set a dangerous precedent if he is expelled before the resolution of federal charges against him.
This current motion for expulsion, prompted by a scathing ethics report, is likely to be a final chapter in the chaotic history of expulsion from Congress, following multiple efforts by fellow lawmakers to kick him out of Congress. The report included allegations that Mr Santos misused campaign funds for personal expenses and defrauded and misled the Federal Election Commission. Mr Santos is also facing nearly two dozen charges in federal court and has previously admitted to fabricating nearly the entirety of his background, calling into question the veracity of his public persona. The Ethics Committee, in light of Mr Santos’s uncooperativeness, declined to make any recommendations on how to deal with Santos, and instead submitted the report for House handling.
The resolution by the Democrats to expel Mr Santos puts pressure on the Republicans to act, but they are unlikely to back the democratic resolution. Instead, it was GOP Rep Michael Guest who filed the resolution to expel Mr Santos following the release of the house ethics report, referring to the evidence uncovered as more than sufficient to warrant expulsion. A Republican-initiated resolution to expel Mr Santos came following a Democratic move to force an expulsion vote, with both parties showing determination to rid the House of the scandal-plagued lawmaker.
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