The House of Representatives will vote to expel embattled Rep. George Santos on Thursday, marking the third attempt to do so in less than a year since Santos took office.
Santos survived a vote in May, introduced by Democrats, and a vote in November, introduced by Republicans. He is, however, facing a 23-count indictment on federal fraud charges, with the trial expected to begin next fall.
If the vote is successful, Santos would be the first member of Congress expelled before a criminal conviction on recent history — Reps. James Traficant and Michael Myers were expelled in 2002 and 1980, respectively, after they were convicted of charges.
Newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed concern about the precedent of expelling Santos, telling reporters on Wednesday, “I personally have real reservations about doing this.”
Others, however, aren’t so concerned about such precedents — including those who voted to keep him last time — following the scathing report by the House Ethics Committee released on Nov. 17.
“The House Ethics Committee is recommending criminal charges after finding George Santos misused campaign funds, lied to the FEC and defrauded the people of New York,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), one of the 31 Democrats who voted to keep Santos, said on Twitter. “Meantime, I’m recommending Mr. Santos resign immediately—and will vote for his expulsion if he does not.”
Santos certainly can’t count on any support from his Long Island colleagues, two of whom — Reps. Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito — pushed for the doomed second expulsion vote. Rep. Andrew Garbarino, who sits on the House Ethics Committee, also supports expelling Santos.
“Now that the Ethics Committee has completed its investigation and issued its report outlining his reprehensible actions, I will support the expulsion of Congressman George Santos from the House of Representatives,” Garbarino said.
On Tuesday night, D’Esposito personally moved to expedite the expulsion vote resolution, which had been introduced by Rep. Michael Guest (R-Mississippi), chairman of the Ethics Committee, on Nov. 16.
A resolution to hold a vote was also introduced on Tuesday by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California).
