In a historic vote, George Santos was kicked out of Congress

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Congressman George Santos was expelled by the US House of Representatives in response to numerous criminal charges and a damning ethics report.

Mr. Santos told reporters, “To hell with this place,” as he walked out of the Capitol.

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The Republican from New York is the first to be removed from the lower house of Congress since 2002, and he is only the sixth lawmaker in history to do so.

Several lies about his past and accusations of fraud, all of which were made public after his election, characterized his term in office.

Following the failure of the first two votes, Friday’s was the third attempt to remove Mr. Santos.

Before the vote’s conclusion, the 35-year-old Queens resident hurried out of the Capitol, scurrying past a horde of reporters and into an SUV that was waiting for him.

“As informally already no longer a member of Congress, I no longer must respond to a single question from you guys,” he stated.

The expulsion resolution was supported by lawmakers 311 to 114, with 206 Democrats as well as 105 Republicans voting in favor.

After the measure was approved, there was sporadic applause in the House chamber.

Mr. Santos endured an unending barrage of controversy during his 11 months in office, and both party members frequently called for his resignation.

His problems started when the New York Times revealed that he had lied about having Jewish ancestry, having a Wall Street career, and having college degrees shortly after he was elected to the House in November 2022.

The accusations have only grown more numerous since then. He has been charged with a variety of falsehoods, including pretending that his mother perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and con artists Amish dog breeders in Pennsylvania.

He faced 23 felonies in May, including wire fraud, money laundering, and public fund theft. He is awaiting trial and disputes the accusations.

The House ethics committee’s discovery last month that he had used “every aspect of his House candidacy for the purpose of personal financial profit” dealt him the death blow.

The panel, among other things, accused him of using campaign funds for trips to the New York seaside enclave of the Hamptons, credit card debt, Botox treatments, and OnlyFans, a website where users pay for content, including pornography.

In Congress, expulsion votes are uncommon and need the support of two thirds of the House.

Two prior attempts to remove Mr. Santos were unsuccessful because some lawmakers claimed it would be unwise to remove someone who had not been found guilty of a crime or put on trial.

Republican Jim Jordan expressed concern about “who’s next” to the BBC after voting against the expulsion.

“He was elected by the people,” he said. “You’ve got to be cautious in taking a vote to kick out of Congress a person the voters sent to Congress.”

Four New York Republicans who were elected with Mr. Santos had been attempting to remove him.

Anthony D’Esposito stated, “We hold members of Congress to a higher standard—that is the precedent that is set.”

“This isn’t how it should have ended,” he continued. “He ought to have been responsible for himself. I think he ought to have quit.”

Days after the ethics committee report was made public, Mr. Santos had resisted leaving, publicly criticizing coworkers and defying their attempts to have him removed.

He said earlier this week to reporters, “This place is run on hypocrisy.” “If they want me to get out of Congress, they are going to have to make that tough vote.”

One constituent in his district responded to the news by saying “good riddance” when asked what they thought of it.

Mr. Santos’ removal, according to Jody Kassfinkel, who spearheaded the campaign, was “a win for democracy.”

“We knew that this was the only route to go because this man has no self-respect and he wasn’t going to resign on his own,” she added.

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