One day after the Ethics Committee released a damning report on its investigation into GOP Representative George Santos of New York, House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi, introduced a resolution on Friday to remove Santos from Congress.
After returning from the Thanksgiving break at the end of the month, lawmakers are anticipated to discuss the resolution.
Although Santos has withstood earlier attempts to remove him from the House, there is increasing support for the most recent attempt. Several Republicans who had not previously supported expulsion said they would now vote in favor of it after the ethics probe.
Expulsion is very uncommon and needs a two-thirds majority in the House to be approved. Since the report’s release, 13 Republican lawmakers have stated their support for Santos’ expulsion; this number is predicted to rise in the coming days.
The Ethics Committee reported in its report that it had discovered more “uncharged and unlawful conduct” by Santos, which extends beyond the criminal charges that are currently pending against him. The Committee further stated that it would promptly forward the allegations to the Justice Department for additional investigation. Santos “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit,” the committee concluded.
After the committee’s report was made public, Santos—who has only been in Congress since January—announced that he would not run for reelection. Despite this, he remained resolute and criticized the investigation, labeling it a “biased report.”
Santos has also entered not-guilty pleas to 23 federal charges, which include claims of misappropriating campaign funds, lying on House disclosure reports about his personal finances, and fraud pertaining to COVID-19 unemployment benefits.
A Republican-led attempt to remove Santos from office failed early in November. Many lawmakers had voiced concerns about the possibility of removing a member who was still embroiled in a legal dispute and had not been found guilty of a crime. Santos defended his right to “the presumption of innocence” prior to the vote.
A resolution led by Democrats to remove Santos was voted on by the House in May and sent to the Ethics Committee.
