
Wednesday night, a resolution led by Republicans to remove Congressman George Santos from office was defeated in the House.
Republicans in the New York delegation spearheaded the effort to remove Santos, claiming that his numerous legal entanglements and past fabrications about his background render him unfit for government. Santos, who was indicted on numerous federal counts, continues to claim his innocence.
The expulsion resolution was formally filed as privileged on Thursday by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, which compelled the House to expedite deliberations over Santos’ potential removal. Representatives Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota, Marc Molinaro, and Brandon Williams accompanied D’Esposito.
The resolution was considerably short of the two-thirds majority required for it to pass. 19 members cast ballots in the final vote, which was 179 to 213 in favor.
Before the vote, Santos defended himself on the House floor, accusing his colleagues of “prioritizing petty politics.”
“The loss of the assumption of innocence establishes an unsafe precedent that threatens the foundations of our legal system, so we risk losing the faith that the American people have given us by passing judgment with no due process,” Santos added. “If we cooperate, we can protect the strength of our system & the rights of all citizens.”
“Mr. Speaker, I’m going to stop at nothing to prove my innocence to the world. God’s grace is keeping me going, even if it hasn’t been easy,” he continued.
On Wednesday, D’Esposito wrote a letter on behalf of the group pleading with colleagues to support the resolution that would evict Santos.
“We strongly recommend you to vote in favor of this resolution while urging you to contact any one of us if you have any doubts regarding expelling George Santos from this body,” they stated in their letter.
In American history, there have only been five House expulsions. The last expulsion took place in 2002 when a Democratic congressman from Ohio, James Traficant, was kicked out after being found guilty on ten counts of felony racketeering, bribery, and fraud.
Although Santos has not been found guilty, prosecutors have charged him on 23 counts, claiming that he stole identities, charged his campaign donors’ credit cards, and misled federal election regulators.
The congressman has insisted on staying in his position despite entering a not guilty plea last week. He will go on trial in 2024.
He told reporters last month, “I’m confident in my convictions and I can prove my innocence.”
Santos represents a swing Long Island district for Republicans, and given the party’s one-digit advantage in the House, they frequently rely on him to help pass legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson, who was just elected, has expressed worry that his removal could jeopardize that.
A vote for expulsion had been threatened against Santos previously.
Democrats attempted to compel the House to take up an expulsion resolution when Santos was originally charged in May. Republicans decided not to take a vote and instead to submit the case to the House Ethics Committee. In an unusual statement made on Monday, the committee stated that they will disclose the next steps in their Santos probe by no later than November 17.
Santos-related claims have been examined by the committee’s investigation subcommittee, which stated that it “has contacted 40 evidence, reviewed more than 170,000 pages of documents & authorized 37 subpoenas.”
According to Santos, he planned to work with the committee.