George Santos tries to be cocky while colleagues introduce multiple resolutions to expel him

The expulsion of Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from the House of Representatives is becoming more and more likely.

Reacting to a damning report on Santos by the House Ethics Committee, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continue to push for an expedited vote on the matter, and that vote will likely take place by the end of the week.

Related:

Marjorie Taylor Greene rages at House Republicans who may vote to expel George Santos

Greene doesn’t get why the House may remove Santos but not Joe Biden.

But in the midst of many of his colleagues clambering to get rid of him, Santos is projecting cockiness, telling them to “put up or shut up.”

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Rep. George Santos (R-NY): "Put up or shut up at this point." pic.twitter.com/SxCgKo69Jm

— CSPAN (@cspan) November 28, 2023

Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), the chair of the House Ethics Committee, filed a resolution on November 17 (the day after the report was released) to expel Santos from Congress. But this week, it became clear that Republican leadership was unsure if and when that resolution would come to a vote. So gay Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) decided to force the issue on Tuesday by introducing a privileged resolution to expel Santos, meaning Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) must address it within two legislative days.

BREAKING: Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia introduces a resolution to expel George Santos.

Follow @Acyn for more! pic.twitter.com/V6NSwoJxKf

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) November 28, 2023

Following Garcia and Goldman’s resolution, Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of New York filed a motion to make Guest’s resolution privileged as well. While it’s possible the House could decide to postpone or table the vote (which would require majority support), the mounting bipartisan support to bring one of these resolutions to the floor makes it more likely a vote will take place.

Here comes the other Santos expulsion resolution pic.twitter.com/ih8nBAdKK4

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 29, 2023

Even Santos himself doesn’t think he has a chance.

“I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor,” Santos said last Friday during a social media event. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good.”

That has not stopped him from trying to martyr himself, though. “Expel me and set the precedent so we can see who the judge, jury and executioners in Congress are,” he wrote on X on November 27.

Setting the record straight, My conversation with the speaker was positive and I told him id be standing for the expulsion vote.

Expel me and set the precedent so we can see who the judge, jury and executioners in Congress are.

The American people deserve to know! https://t.co/vWhQyFWn0O

— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) November 27, 2023

On Tuesday night, Santos also spoke on the House floor to reiterate that he will not resign. He said his expulsion would create “a very dangerous precedent” that “one is no longer innocent until proven guilty” and that “because somebody doesn’t like you, they get to throw you out of your job.”

Santos: Are we to now assume no one is innocent until proven guilty and guilty until proven innocent pic.twitter.com/hbnBnLcp6Q

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 29, 2023

He also said that the five members in history who have been expelled were all convicted in court before their expulsions.

Santos has already survived two attempts to expel him, the first time in May when several out LGBTQ+ Democrats – led by Garcia – introduced a resolution to expel him and the second time earlier this month after several New York Republicans filed a resolution to expel him.

Many Republicans who voted against his expulsion the last two times have changed their minds now that the House Ethics Committee’s report has been made public. The House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to adopt the report that said there was “substantial evidence” that Santos used campaign funds for his personal expenses and “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”

Two-thirds of the House must vote to expel Santos, and Republicans have a narrow majority in the House. If he is expelled, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) can issue a proclamation for a special election to find someone to replace him for the remainder of the congressional session.

Santos faces a total of 23 federal charges of fraud and financial crimes related to his 2022 campaign to represent New York’s Third Congressional District. Last month, he pleaded not guilty to all charges, and a trial date has been set for September 2024.