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Should Rep. George Santos Be Expelled From Congress?
- Yes
- No
The freshman Republican lawmaker from Long Island, whose 3rd District represents parts of Nassau County and Queens, easily survived a resolution brought by his fellow New York Republicans to oust Santos from the House on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
The resolution failed with 179 members voting in favor and 213 voting against. Nineteen members voted “present.”
Among those voting to boot Santos from the House were 155 Democrats and 24 Republicans, while 182 Republicans and 31 Democrats voted against the move.
Immediately following the vote, Santos took to X, formerly Twitter, calling the outcome “a victory for due process, not me.”
“This was never about me, and I’ll never let it become about me,” he continued. “We all have rights under this great Constitutional Republic and I’ll fight for our right to uphold them till my last dying breath.”
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who introduced the expulsion resolution, said he was “disappointed” by the outcome.
“I believe George Santos' lies coupled with the criminal charges he is facing deem Santos unfit to serve the people of New York's 3rd Congressional District,” he said on X.
“I am confident the findings of the upcoming House Ethics Committee report on George Santos will expose Santos’ deceptions and outline what New Yorkers already know — that George Santos is a fraud unworthy of serving in public office.”
Expulsion from Congress requires a two-thirds majority vote. Only 20 federal lawmakers have been expelled in the nation’s history: 15 in the Senate and five in the House.
Wednesday's vote came just days after Santos pleaded not guilty to 10 new criminal charges in US District Court in Central Islip on Friday, Oct. 27.
He's now facing a total of 23 federal criminal counts, including identity theft, wire fraud, money laundering, and lying to Congress.
Among his alleged crimes, according to prosecutors, was a scheme to steal thousands of dollars from his campaign donors. He's also accused of illegally receiving more than $24,000 in unemployment insurance benefits in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is scheduled to stand trial in September 2024.
What Do You Think? Should Rep. George Santos be expelled from the House? Sound off in our poll above.
Related Coverage:
'Unfit To Serve': Nassau Rep. Pushing To 'Immediately Expel' George Santos From House
- Trio Of Schemes That Led To Santos Arrest Detailed By Feds; Rep Not Resigning Over 'Witch Hunt'
- 'High Risk, High Reward': Santos Staffer Impersonated Speaker's Aide To Fundraise, Feds Say
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