House Expels Republican George Santos, Marking Sixth in History - Anti-Corruption Hotline (anticorruptionhotline.com)
In a striking development, the U.S. House of Representatives has taken the extraordinary step of expelling its Republican member, George Santos from New York, amidst a scandal involving deception of voters and misuse of campaign funds. The House Ethics Committee uncovered that Santos' team had misappropriated election contributions for personal expenses. Santos, who was elected at the age of 34 in November 2022, has now become only the sixth member in the history of the House to be expelled.
In a striking development, the U.S. House of Representatives has taken the extraordinary step of expelling its Republican member, George Santos from New York, amidst a scandal involving deception of voters and misuse of campaign funds. The House Ethics Committee uncovered that Santos' team had misappropriated election contributions for personal expenses. Santos, who was elected at the age of 34 in November 2022, has now become only the sixth member in the history of the House to be expelled.
Santos' troubles began soon after his election when the New York press in December exposed that he had fabricated significant parts of his biography, including claims of graduating from college and working for prestigious banks. The Ethics Committee promptly initiated an investigation into his campaign activities, and New York authorities gradually charged Santos with more than twenty counts, including identity theft and money laundering.
In early November 2023, Santos narrowly survived a House vote on expulsion, with the overwhelming majority of his Republican colleagues backing him. However, following the release of the Ethics Committee's findings, 105 out of 221 of his party colleagues voted for his punishment. Combined with Democratic members, the proposal for Santos' expulsion passed by a vote of 311 to 114.
This action required a two-thirds majority of legislators and led to the immediate revocation of Santos' mandate as the representative of the southeastern district of New York.
The Republican leadership of the House had initially stood by Santos just before the vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson told the media he would vote against the proposal. Santos' expulsion complicates an already challenging situation for the Republicans, whose majority has thinned to 221 seats out of 435. Santos' seat will remain vacant until a special election is held in his district, where Democrats are expected to have a significant chance to strengthen their House caucus.
Prior to today, only five members had been expelled from the House in its more than 200-year history. Three politicians were punished in 1861 for supporting the Confederate South during the American Civil War. The other two expulsions, in 1981 and 2002, involved congressmen convicted of corruption and other financial crimes.