Former Congressman George Santos is gone from the U.S. House, and so is the signal exterior his workplace on Capitol Hill now modified to “Office of the Third Congressional District of New York.”
Santos grew to become simply the sixth member within the chamber’s historical past to be ousted by colleagues, and the third for the reason that Civil War.
The vote to expel was 311-114, simply clearing the two-thirds majority required. House Republican leaders opposed eradicating Santos, whose departure leaves them with a razor-thin majority, however in the long run 105 GOP lawmakers sided with almost all Democrats to expel him.
The expulsion marked the ultimate congressional chapter in a spectacular fall from grace for Santos. Celebrated as an up-and-comer after he flipped a district from Democrats final yr, Santos‘ life story began to unravel before he was even sworn into office. Reports emerged that he had lied about having Jewish ancestry, a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree, among other things.
Then, in May, Santos was indicted by federal prosecutors on multiple charges, turning his presence in the House into a growing distraction and embarrassment to the party.
Santos joins a short list of lawmakers expelled from the House, and for reasons uniquely his own. Of the previous expulsions in the House, three were for siding with the Confederacy during the Civil War. The remaining two occurred after the lawmakers were convicted of crimes in federal court, the most recent in 2002.
Seeking to remain in office, Santos had appealed to colleagues to let the court process play out. He warned of the precedent they would set by expelling a member not yet convicted of a crime.
But the name Santos is certain to pop up in key congressional races across New York next year.
Democrats are targeting five seats held by first-term Republicans and looking to associate them with their former colleague in the state’s congressional delegation as typically as they will.
How profitable Democrats are in that effort might assist decide which social gathering holds the bulk within the House in 2025.
The concern about Santos presumably tainting different Republican members’ standing with voters was evident as New Yorkers made themselves entrance and middle within the drive to expel Santos.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, a Republican whose district borders Santos’ district, supplied the expulsion laws in order that it needed to be acted on inside two days, regardless that it had been authored by a Mississippi lawmaker, GOP Rep. Michael Guest, chairman of the House Ethics Committee.
Those watching D’Esposito learn the decision on tv noticed Rep. Nick LaLota sitting to his left and Rep. Mike Lawler sitting instantly behind him. Both are first-term lawmakers from New York whose districts favored Democrat Joe Biden within the 2020 presidential election. Biden carried D’Esposito’s district by greater than 14 share factors.
D’Esposito additionally led the talk for proponents of expulsion when the decision reached the House ground. Santos led the talk for these arguing in opposition to the decision. LaLota and Lawler additionally spoke, as did Rep. Marc Molinaro, one other New York Republican who at one level grew exasperated as considerations had been raised concerning the House setting a precedent of expelling members earlier than that they had their day in courtroom.
Santos‘ troubles are removed from over, as he faces trial subsequent yr in New York. Federal prosecutors in a 23-count indictment have accused him of duping donors, stealing from his marketing campaign and mendacity to Congress.
The indictment alleges particularly that Santos stole the identities of marketing campaign donors after which used their bank cards to make tens of hundreds of {dollars} in unauthorized expenses. He then wired among the cash to his private checking account and used the remaining to pad his marketing campaign coffers, prosecutors say. Santos has pleaded not responsible.
