Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is set to face expulsion from the House as soon as Wednesday, possibly becoming the first congressman in more than 20 years to be removed in a motion brought forth by Republicans from his own delegation.
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But unlike the five members throughout U.S. history who were kicked out by an overwhelming majority of the House, Santos would be the first to be immediately ousted without having been convicted of a crime. Establishing such a precedent has prompted members of both parties to seriously weigh the consequences of expelling Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges in New York that include fraud, money laundering, falsifying records and aggravated identity theft.
The House has faced a turbulent several years that have featured a deterioration of civility and decorum between the parties, resulting in rash decisions to immediately condemn lawmakers or call for their ouster. A swath of lawmakers worry that removing Santos ignores the presumption of innocence and would set a precedent that expulsion is a standard option for reprimand at a time when retribution has become the norm in the House.
“Anybody that’s been awake, that’s been reading the newspaper and looking at Twitter understands every reason as to why he should be [ousted],” said Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), who formally introduced his resolution under privilege Thursday to force speedy consideration of Santos’s removal by the House.
But it remains unclear whether Santos will be successfully ousted given that expulsion requires approval from two-thirds of House lawmakers voting — or 282 of the chamber’s 423 current members, if all are present. Democrats have repeatedly called for Santos’s ouster, and fewer than 10 among the party’s 212 House members remain hesitant to vote in support of his removal, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal party whip counts. Republicans, though, do not expect many within their conference to vote in support, even though more than a dozen have previously called for him to resign.
The renewed push to oust Santos, who is running for reelection, is being driven by fellow New York Republican freshmen D’Esposito, Nick LaLota, Marcus J. Molinaro, Michael Lawler and Brandon Williams, all of whom also represent swing districts in the state and face difficult reelections. All argue that there is enough evidence to oust Santos before a formal conviction, citing his former campaign treasurer pleading guilty and admitting in court that she conspired with Santos to commit wire fraud and identity theft, make false statements and other charges.
“That’s basis enough for an expulsion. You don’t get to come here based on lying to all your voters and all your contributors. That is a minimum standard that should be enough, I think, for two-thirds of the House to expel,” LaLota said Thursday after the resolution was introduced.
They also say that Santos had previously admitted to embellishing his biography during his 2022 campaign and that he continues to lie. Just last week, Santos told the New York Times that his niece was falsely kidnapped by Chinese communist spies, which the New York Police Department immediately denied.
The talented Mr. Santos: A congressman's unraveling web of deception
“You’re not dealing with somebody who is a rational human being,” Lawler said Thursday.
In response to his colleagues, Santos said that if the motion passes, it should serve as “a clear indication that this country has now gone down the drain.”
“Everybody is innocent until proven guilty. It is the government’s burden to prove you guilty,” he added on the social media platform Spaces. “Unfortunately some of my colleagues want to be judge, jury and executioner and deny me the right to due process.”
The difficulty in surpassing the two-thirds majority threshold has resulted in only five expulsions from the chamber. Three were removed during the start of the Civil War in 1861 for their disloyalty to the Union. Rep. Michael J. Myers (D-Pa.) was expelled in 1980 after he was convicted of accepting a $50,000 bribe from undercover FBI agents, and 22 years later, Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio) was ousted after being convicted in federal court on 10 charges that involved bribes, gifts and other favors.
House Republicans have varying views on whether Santos should be expelled. Some have called for Santos to resign. Some caution precedent-setting without due process. A handful of Republicans expressed deep regret for how they spent the first half of the year voting to censure or kick Democrats off committees in retribution for when a Democratic majority did the same to their colleagues.
Others say it’s the last thing the Republican conference needs after eight colleagues voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker, triggering an unprecedented three weeks where all their intrapersonal tensions were exposed during a bruising speakership fight. Plus, some worry that with Santos’s removal, their already narrow majority would go down to a three-vote margin of error.
Keeping up with politics is easy with The 5-Minute Fix Newsletter, in your inbox weekdays.
But unlike the five members throughout U.S. history who were kicked out by an overwhelming majority of the House, Santos would be the first to be immediately ousted without having been convicted of a crime. Establishing such a precedent has prompted members of both parties to seriously weigh the consequences of expelling Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges in New York that include fraud, money laundering, falsifying records and aggravated identity theft.
The House has faced a turbulent several years that have featured a deterioration of civility and decorum between the parties, resulting in rash decisions to immediately condemn lawmakers or call for their ouster. A swath of lawmakers worry that removing Santos ignores the presumption of innocence and would set a precedent that expulsion is a standard option for reprimand at a time when retribution has become the norm in the House.
“Anybody that’s been awake, that’s been reading the newspaper and looking at Twitter understands every reason as to why he should be [ousted],” said Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), who formally introduced his resolution under privilege Thursday to force speedy consideration of Santos’s removal by the House.
But it remains unclear whether Santos will be successfully ousted given that expulsion requires approval from two-thirds of House lawmakers voting — or 282 of the chamber’s 423 current members, if all are present. Democrats have repeatedly called for Santos’s ouster, and fewer than 10 among the party’s 212 House members remain hesitant to vote in support of his removal, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal party whip counts. Republicans, though, do not expect many within their conference to vote in support, even though more than a dozen have previously called for him to resign.
The renewed push to oust Santos, who is running for reelection, is being driven by fellow New York Republican freshmen D’Esposito, Nick LaLota, Marcus J. Molinaro, Michael Lawler and Brandon Williams, all of whom also represent swing districts in the state and face difficult reelections. All argue that there is enough evidence to oust Santos before a formal conviction, citing his former campaign treasurer pleading guilty and admitting in court that she conspired with Santos to commit wire fraud and identity theft, make false statements and other charges.
“That’s basis enough for an expulsion. You don’t get to come here based on lying to all your voters and all your contributors. That is a minimum standard that should be enough, I think, for two-thirds of the House to expel,” LaLota said Thursday after the resolution was introduced.
They also say that Santos had previously admitted to embellishing his biography during his 2022 campaign and that he continues to lie. Just last week, Santos told the New York Times that his niece was falsely kidnapped by Chinese communist spies, which the New York Police Department immediately denied.
The talented Mr. Santos: A congressman's unraveling web of deception
“You’re not dealing with somebody who is a rational human being,” Lawler said Thursday.
In response to his colleagues, Santos said that if the motion passes, it should serve as “a clear indication that this country has now gone down the drain.”
“Everybody is innocent until proven guilty. It is the government’s burden to prove you guilty,” he added on the social media platform Spaces. “Unfortunately some of my colleagues want to be judge, jury and executioner and deny me the right to due process.”
The difficulty in surpassing the two-thirds majority threshold has resulted in only five expulsions from the chamber. Three were removed during the start of the Civil War in 1861 for their disloyalty to the Union. Rep. Michael J. Myers (D-Pa.) was expelled in 1980 after he was convicted of accepting a $50,000 bribe from undercover FBI agents, and 22 years later, Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio) was ousted after being convicted in federal court on 10 charges that involved bribes, gifts and other favors.
House Republicans have varying views on whether Santos should be expelled. Some have called for Santos to resign. Some caution precedent-setting without due process. A handful of Republicans expressed deep regret for how they spent the first half of the year voting to censure or kick Democrats off committees in retribution for when a Democratic majority did the same to their colleagues.
Others say it’s the last thing the Republican conference needs after eight colleagues voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker, triggering an unprecedented three weeks where all their intrapersonal tensions were exposed during a bruising speakership fight. Plus, some worry that with Santos’s removal, their already narrow majority would go down to a three-vote margin of error.
