Bye, George.
Lying Long Island Rep. George Santos (R-NY) became the sixth member to be expelled from the US House of Representatives on Friday, a little more than a year after he won election despite fabricating much of his personal and professional history, lying about his campaign’s finances and defrauding donors.
The House voted 311-114 to oust the 35-year-old Republican, with more than 100 of his fellow GOP lawmakers supporting his removal.
Santos, who dodged two previous expulsion votes earlier this year, told “Fox & Friends” hours before the vote that he had already “accepted the fate.”
“I believe that if it’s God’s will to keep me here, I will stay and if … it is his will for me to leave, I will leave and I will do so graciously,” he said.
Santos watched the vote from the back of the House chamber with an overcoat draped over his shoulders. As his fate became clear, he left the Capitol and got into a waiting car.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who expressed “real reservations” earlier in the week about voting to expel Santos, told reporters shortly before ballots were cast that he would not support the congressman’s removal.
He had also urged House Republicans “to vote their conscience,” stressing that there were “good faith” arguments for and against Santos’ removal.
Every other member of House GOP leadership also revealed they would oppose the expulsion less than an hour before the vote.
“No Member of Congress has ever been expelled without a conviction; this is a dangerous precedent and I am voting no based upon my concerns regarding due process,” House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik of New York said on X.
Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) revealed in an email obtained by Punchbowl News that he was, in fact, one of the donors that Santos had defrauded, saying he respected other members’ decisions but he would be voting for Santos’ removal.
Friday’s vote followed a scathing report from the House Ethics Committee about the congressman’s use of campaign funds for personal splurges, including X-rated OnlyFans subscriptions, Botox and lavish trips.
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Clay Higgins (R-La.) expressed solidarity with Santos during debate on the House floor Thursday afternoon and argued against his removal.
Friday’s vote followed a scathing report from the House Ethics Committee about the congressman’s use of campaign funds for personal splurges, including X-rated OnlyFans subscriptions, Botox and lavish trips.
“Whatever Mr. Santos did with Botox or OnlyFans is less concerning to me than the indictment against Senator [Bob] Menendez [of New Jersey], who is holding gold bars inscribed with Arabic on them from Egypt while he’s still getting classified briefings today,” Gaetz said in a floor speech.
But Santos’ fellow New York Republicans, who had previously pushed for his removal following the House ethics inquiry, argued it was time for the body to set “a new precedent” for expulsions based on violations of ethics rules.
“If we have an opportunity in this great institution to start a new precedent that means we hold members of the House of Representatives to a higher standard, ladies and gentlemen, I’m pretty confident that the American people would applaud that,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) said.
D’Esposito had privileged the expulsion resolution, which was introduced Nov. 17 by House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) following the panel’s investigation, forcing the chamber to take it up by the end of the week.
“As the Ethics Committee’s report lays out in thorough detail, Mr. Santos has repeatedly, egregiously and brazenly violated the public’s trust,” Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), a member of the committee, said on the House floor Thursday.
“Mr. Santos is not a victim. He is a perpetrator of a massive fraud on his constituents and the American people.”
The representative from New York’s 3rd Congressional District is also facing a 23-count federal indictment for having laundered his campaign’s money and defrauded donors. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.