Democrats Officially Move to Kick George Santos Out of Congress

The House of Representatives could soon vote on whether to expel indicted Rep. George Santos sometime this week.

On Wednesday, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) introduced a resolution declaring that “Rep. George Santos be, and hereby is, expelled from the House of Representatives.”

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The motion was introduced under privilege, meaning Republican leadership is required to schedule the resolution for consideration on the House floor within two legislative days of its introduction. A two-thirds majority vote would be required to expel Santos.

Santos was arrested last week and pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and lying to Congress. The charges were spurred by a federal investigation into the mind-boggling series of lies and misrepresentations Santos made over the course of his two campaigns for Congress, the second of which was successful.

While the Long Island congressman is facing abysmal approval ratings, and calls for his resignation from his local GOP, congressional leadership has been hesitant to support efforts for his removal. Following the announcement of the charges, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he would be withholding his judgment until he’d learned more about the case.

According to a report from Politico, McCarthy is already gaming out ways to deal with Garcia’s resolution. The speaker is reportedly considering passing along the resolution to the House Ethics Committee, which is already investigating allegations that Santos “engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign; failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.”

According to sources who spoke to Politico, the speaker is also considering tabling the resolution or bringing it to a vote. If the resolution is tabled, the vote for Santos’ expulsion would likely take place after a criminal conviction or the results of the Ethics Committee’s investigations are made public. Santos’ ouster would diminish the already slim majority held by the House GOP, and result in a special election that could swing Democrats’ way.

Democrats say a vote on Santos’ conduct is a matter of accountability. “Republicans are going to have to go on the record,” Garcia told Politico, explaining his reasoning for the resolution. “There will be a vote. As for what the vote is, it is up to the Republican leadership.”

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