George Santos is out.
The House voted to expel the indicted New York Republican, with more than two-thirds of the chamber voting for a resolution sponsored by House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.).
The motion managed to pass with a comfortable margin despite last-minute opposition from all four top GOP House leaders, which shook Republican support for the measure. Guest introduced the motion after his panel released an explosive report finding Santos’ conduct “beneath the dignity of the office and to have brought severe discredit upon the House” and that there was “significant evidence” of Santos’ criminal wrongdoing.
The vote also sets a new precedent; since the Civil War, the House hasn’t expelled a member without a criminal conviction. Only five members have been booted from the House, and the first three were due to their support for the Confederacy. The other two were removed after federal convictions.
But in the days before the vote, Santos’ standing with colleagues plummeted, with the New York Republican even acknowledging he would probably have to leave the House. Still, he had refused to resign, with some GOP members speculating Santos wanted to portray himself as a martyr.
Expulsion is the most severe sanction the House has for its members. Santos’ removal from the House further narrows Republicans’ already miniscule majority.
Santos is facing 23 federal charges but has not been convicted. His trial is slated to begin in September. He has pleaded not guilty.
