New York Republicans forced a vote on Thursday over a resolution to remove embattled Rep. George Santos from the House following a series of legal and moral controversies.
The development is a rare instance of lawmakers trying to kick a member of their own party out of Congress. It also signifies the distinct political challenge that Santos is facing as a result of his federal criminal prosecution.
George Santos' Expulsion
The latest effort to expel Santos from the House was precipitated by a superseding indictment released earlier this month. This gave the embattled lawmaker 10 new charges, which include wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and credit card fraud.
Furthermore, Rep. Anthony D'Esposito introduced a so-called privileged motion on Thursday to force a vote for the measure next week. The new three-page resolution focuses on Santos' fabrications on the 2022 campaign trail and the federal charges that have been filed against him.
It notes that the superseding indictment "outlined a vast amount of evidence against Santos." These include conversations that the New York representative held with his former campaign treasurer. The talks allegedly included outlining plans to commit the fraud that he is charged with, as per Axios.
D'Esposito was flanked on the House floor by Reps. Marc Molinaro, Nick LaLota, and Mike Lawler in pushing for the resolution to remove Santos from the House. All of these lawmakers are from districts that United States President Joe Biden won in the 2020 election.
Democratic lawmakers used the perpetual controversy surrounding Santos as a cudgel against vulnerable Republicans in New York. This makes his continued presence in Congress a significant political liability for the right-wing party.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Santos said that he would not be "resigning" and that he is "entitled to due process and not a predetermined outcome as some are seeking." A spokesperson for newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson did not say how he plans to proceed with the vote against the New York Republican.
Dilemma for Republicans
Under the U.S. Constitution, an expulsion resolution requires a two-thirds vote in support of it and there have only been five members who were expelled from the House since 1861. The group of New York Republicans announced their plans to remove Santis earlier this month, according to CBS News.
The embattled lawmaker is now set to appear in court on Friday for his arraignment in the superseding indictment. The new charges against Santos renewed efforts to expel him from the House after Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats in May.
At the time, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy argued that the legal process should be allowed to play out. He added that the matter was referred to the House Ethics Committee to conduct an investigation.
Efforts to expel Santos have caused an early dilemma for the GOP because of its narrow House majority. If the party loses Santos' seat in a competitive election in Long Island and Queens could make it harder for the right to pass GOP policy priorities, said Yahoo News.
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