This chapter of George Santos’s short congressional career has come to a close. The scandal-plagued New York Republican was expelled from the House this Friday after a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged fraud perpetrated by his campaign after a tumultuous few months uncovered more scandals around the freshman Republican.
After the release of the ethics report in November, Santos said he would not seek re-election to New York’s Third District, which includes Northeastern Queens and most of Nassau County, which he won in 2022. However, the congressman had refused to resign saying that if he did, the “bullies” would win.
Santos said on the House floor the day before the vote: “I will not stand quietly. The people of the Third District of New York sent me here. If they want me out, they’re going to have to silence those people and take the hard vote.”
The House voted overwhelmingly to oust Santos, in a 311-114 vote with two voting present. The congressman had already already put on his winter jacket and left the chamber, speeding through the lobby before the vote had even concluded. 105 Republicans voted to remove Santos, but another 112 voted for him to remain. Only two Democrats voted against ousting Santos, Reps. Bobby Scott of Virginia and Nikema Williams of Georgia. Both cited not wanting to remove the decision from the voters of New York. Several prominent Republican leaders maintained their support of Santos, including Steve Scalise and Elise Stefanik. House Speaker Mike Johnson had made it clear he was not eager to lose a vote with the slim majority.
“It’s over. What reaction?” Santos told as he was exiting the Capitol, adding that. “They just set a new, dangerous precedent for themselves.” The congressman is the first congressperson in U.S. history to be expelled before a federal conviction. By 3 p.m., workers in the capitol had taken down the sign in front of Santos’ office, which they replaced with one that read: “Office of the Third Congressional District of New York.”
As we previously reported, Santos had already survived two previous attempts to expel him this year.
However, Republican support for Santos crumbled in November after the House Ethics Committee released its 56-page report detailing allegations against him. The bipartisan probe found evidence Santos had misused campaign money, spending it on Botox, luxury brands, and on OnlyFans.
Santos has declined to comment on the report, but said in a new conference on Thursday that he was not wearing anything purchased with campaign funds. “These are six years old.” he said, pointing at his shoes.
Santos has become the sixth person in U.S. history to be expelled from the House of Representatives. Half of the others who were removed were ousted for treason after they supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. The other two, Reps. Michael Myers of Pennsylvania and James Traficant of Ohio, expelled in 1980 and 2002 respectively, after they were convicted of federal crimes.
Even before these allegations came to light, Santos had developed a reputation as a notorious fabulist. Shortly after his election, the congressman admitted to fabricating aspects of background whole-cloth, but denied any wrong-doing. It was discovered he lied about his education and that he worked for Goldman Sachs. During his campaign for congress, he falsely claimed to have Jewish heritage and that his mother had died in 9/11.
All of this made Santos somewhat of an outcast in the House and an easy target for late-night comedians well before federal prosecutors even charged the now-former congressman with a variety of campaign-finance crimes.
There is a 23-count indictment against Santos where federal prosecutors accuse him of inflating his total fundraising numbers to draw support from the Republican party, laundering money to pay for personal expenses, and charging donors’ credit cards without their permission. Two of Santos’ former campaign aides have already pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
While Santos denies wrongdoing, his trial is scheduled for September 9, 2024, before the November elections shakeup American federal politics.
Santos also made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ Republican elected to congress, although he has taken stances more in line with the far-right and repressing the wider queer community by advocating for things like the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill and disparaging drag queens.
The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, will have to declare a special election within 10 days of the vacancy.
