House votes to expel George Santos

The House of Representatives voted to expel out Rep. George Santos (R-NY), making him the sixth member of Congress to ever be expelled. Three of the five previously expelled members were expelled for fighting for the Confederacy, and the other two had been convicted of charges related to accepting bribes and other crimes.

“Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place,” Santos told CNN immediately after the vote.

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“Given his track record, this means there are untold fathoms of genders yet to be identified.”

311 members voted to expel him, including 105 Republicans. The resolution to expel him required a two-thirds majority to pass, which meant that 290 votes were needed.

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All House Democrats voted to expel Santos except for Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Nikema Williams (D-GA). Two others – Reps. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) and Al Green (D-TX) – voted present.

Many far-right members of Congress, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and Matt Gaetz (R-FL), voted against the resolution to expel Santos.

“The House spoke, that’s their vote,” Santos said. “They just set a new dangerous precedent for themselves.”

Santos has already said that he will not be running in 2024. He is currently facing 23 federal criminal charges related to various alleged schemes to enrich himself.

This is the House’s third attempt to expel Santos. The first time happened in May when several out LGBTQ+ Democrats – led by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) – introduced a resolution to expel him, and the second time was in November after several New York Republicans filed a resolution to expel him.

Since the second attempt to expel him, the House Ethics Committee released its report that it voted unanimously to adopt. The report 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.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has already said that she will now issue a proclamation for a special election to find someone to replace him for the remainder of the congressional session.

“I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District. The people of Long Island deserve nothing less,” she said in a statement posted to social media.