December 1, 2023
New York Rep. George Santos Gets The Boot As House Makes Historic Vote To Expel Him
Santos is the sixth House member to ever be expelled in U.S. history and the third since the Civil War.
CNBC reports that Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was expelled from Congress on Dec. 1 for alleged financial crimes and campaign deception.
Lawmakers from both sides of the House aisle voted 311-114 to have the controversial congressman ousted, making him the sixth House member in U.S. history to be given the boot. Now, with Santos no longer in office, the number of House Republicans drops to 221 versus 213 Democrats, narrowing the Republican’s slim lead, which makes it slightly more difficult for the majority to have legislation passed without Democratic support.
According to The Hill, Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Nikema Williams (D-GA) were the only Democrats to vote against his expulsion, while Reps. Al Green (D-TX) and Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) voted present.
It also gives the state of New York a chance to redeem itself with a New Democratic candidate to lead them. According to state law, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has 10 days to announce a special election to fill Santo’s seat, with a vote coming in late February 2024.
On Twitter, Hochul said she is prepared to do right by the people of the third district. “I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District,” the governor wrote. “The people of Long Island deserve nothing less.”
Santos is facing a federal indictment on 23 counts of wire fraud, identity theft, and several other campaign finance charges. Controversy overshadowed his leadership as fellow Republicans looked at him as dragging down the party’s image.
On Nov. 30, fellow New York congressman Rep. Marc Molinaro referred to Santos as his “future former colleague” on the House floor. “Dear God, Mr. Speaker, my future former colleague is divorced from reality,” Molinaro said. “He has manufactured his entire life to defraud the voters of his district and on his choice, for a member of Congress. He has lied to donors and to colleagues, taking advantage of election law, using campaign funds to personally benefit himself. And he has defamed not only his office but the institution itself.”
The vote comes just 24 hours after Santos announced he wanted to issue a resolution to have fellow New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman expelled from Congress, which Bowman called a “meaningless stunt.”
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