Rep. George Santos expelled from Congress in historic vote

In a historic vote on Friday, embattled New York Republican Representative George Santos was expelled from the House, making him the sixth-ever House member to face removal. This decision followed a thorough investigation by the House Ethics Committee into alleged fraud committed by Santos's campaign, amidst a series of scandals surrounding the freshman Republican legislator.

Last month, Santos, aged 35, announced that he would not seek reelection to the Long Island-area seat he won in 2022 after the release of an ethics report. Despite this decision, he adamantly refused to resign, stating on the House floor the day before the expulsion vote, "I will not stand by quietly... If they want me out, they’re going to have to go silence those people and take the hard vote."

The expulsion vote resulted in 311 members voting to remove Santos, with 114 against and two voting present. Notably, 105 Republicans supported his removal, while 112 voted for him to remain. Only two Democrats, Reps. Bobby Scott of Virginia and Nikema Williams of Georgia, voted against expelling Santos.

Santos, who left the floor before the vote concluded, expressed a dismissive reaction to the result, stating, "It’s over. What reaction?" When questioned about potentially visiting the House floor in the future, he replied, "To hell with this place."

Reports earlier in the day suggested Santos might survive, but a letter from Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller, alleging that Santos had defrauded Miller and his mother, influenced some GOP members to vote against Santos. Miller claimed Santos charged campaign contributions to their personal credit cards.

This expulsion comes after Santos survived a previous attempt last month when other New York Republicans failed to garner enough support. However, sentiment shifted after a congressional report revealed Santos had spent campaign funds on items such as Botox, luxury shopping, and the adult content website OnlyFans.

Following the expulsion, Santos's seat will be immediately vacated, further narrowing the already slim Republican majority under House Speaker Mike Johnson. A special election for the competitive district is expected within three months. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul indicated her readiness to fill the vacancy, stating on social media, "The people of Long Island deserve nothing less."

Santos, whose controversies began even before being sworn in, faced allegations of misleading voters about various aspects of his life, including his religion, education, employment history, and the circumstances of his mother's death. Additional accusations included stealing money from a GoFundMe meant for a military service member's dying dog and writing bad checks to dog breeders. Santos faces legal challenges with charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and campaign fraud, with a trial set for next year.