After the House Ethics Committee released a damning report accusing Representative George Santos (R-N.Y.) of campaign finance violations, the newly elected congressman expressed his anticipation of facing expulsion from the House on Friday.
According to The Hill, during an appearance on X Spaces (formerly Twitter Spaces), Santos acknowledged his expectation of expulsion, noting, “I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor.”
Despite surviving two previous expulsion attempts, some members have indicated a change in their voting stance for the upcoming resolution.
Reflecting on his initial election in 2022, Santos likened himself to the “it girl” everyone desired, but his popularity waned, stating, “until nobody wanted me.”
The House Ethics Committee initiated its investigation in March 2023 following allegations of campaign finance misconduct and accusations that Santos provided false biographical information. Santos faced a federal indictment in May 2023 with 13 charges, and in October, a superseding indictment added 10 more counts, totaling 23 charges.
The charges against Santos include wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, making false statements to the House, and a conspiracy count. Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges and announced he would not seek reelection. Despite the damning report, he asserted his commitment to serving his district until legally required to step down.
“I’m not running for reelection, not because this was a damning report,” Santos clarified. “I’m not running for reelection because I don’t want to work with a bunch of hypocrites.”
Accusing fellow members of Congress of questionable behavior, Santos called for an ethics investigation into their actions, emphasizing that his alleged actions occurred “before I was even a member of Congress.”
House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) swiftly introduced a resolution for Santos’s expulsion within 24 hours of the report’s publication. Santos, defiant in the face of potential expulsion, welcomed it, stating, “If you want to expel me, I’ll wear it like a badge of honor. I’ll be the sixth expelled member of Congress.”
Asserting his intent to remain in office, Santos declared, “I’m not leaving. These people need to understand, it’s done when I say it’s done.”