Indicted Republican George Santos’ brief career in the U.S. House of Representatives came to an end on Friday when fellow lawmakers voted to expel him due to criminal corruption charges and misspending of campaign funds. The House voted 311-114 to immediately remove the freshman lawmaker, exceeding the two-thirds majority required for ousting.
Shortly before the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his intention to vote against the expulsion. Santos, 35, has been embroiled in controversy since his November 2022 election. He admitted fabricating much of his biography, and federal prosecutors have accused him of laundering campaign funds and defrauding donors, though Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Previously, there was a failed expulsion attempt in early November when 182 of his fellow Republicans and 31 Democrats opposed his removal, arguing that his criminal case should be resolved first. His expulsion reduces Republicans’ majority to 221-213 with his district, including parts of New York City and Long Island, seen as competitive.
A bipartisan congressional investigation discovered that Santos had charged almost $4,000 for spa treatments, including Botox, to his congressional campaign account. He also spent over $4,000 of campaign money at the luxury retail store Hermes and made “smaller purchases” from OnlyFans, an online platform known for sexual content. These discoveries prompted several Republicans who previously supported him to say they would now back his expulsion. Santos rejected calls to resign, but announced he would not seek re-election next year.
Santos is only the sixth member to be expelled from the House, and the first who had neither been convicted of a crime nor fought for the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. Democrat James Traficant was the last member to be expelled in 2002 due to criminal corruption conviction.
On the House floor, Santos asserted, “I have been convicted of no crimes. The people of Third Congressional District of New York sent me here. If they want me out, they’re going to have to go silence those people and take the hard vote.”
Santos’ problems began soon after his November 2022 election when media outlets reported he had not actually attended New York University or worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup as he had claimed during the campaign.
He also falsely claimed Jewish heritage and told voters his grandparents had fled the Nazis during World War Two. Representative Nick LaLota, a neighboring district’s Republican in New York, said, “Every day that Mr. Santos is allowed to remain a member of Congress, my New York neighbors to the west are being denied real representation in these halls.”
Reports of falsehoods concerning Santos led to animosity in the House and ridicule from late-night TV comedians prior to federal prosecutors charging him with an array of fraud and campaign-finance crimes. In a 23-count indictment, they alleged he inflated his fundraising totals to attract more support from the Republican Party, laundered funds for personal expenses, and charged donors’ credit cards without permission. Two former campaign aides have pleaded guilty to related fraud charges. Santos has maintained his innocence, and his trial is scheduled to begin on September 9, 2024, just before the November elections.
Democratic New York State Governor Kathy Hochul now has 10 days to call a special election for the seat. The election must occur 70 to 80 days from that proclamation. Before Santos’ victory in 2022, Democrat Tom Suozzi represented the district, but he is currently running for governor. Suozzi and 19 other candidates, including eight Republicans, have filed to run for Santos’ seat.
(Reporting by Makini Brice and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)
