The speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, spoke with CNN about Representative George Santos possibly being expelled from the House. The leader of the Republican majority claimed that he has "real reservations" regarding the case of the New York congressman since he has not been formally accused or convicted of a crime.
When it comes to the vote that will decide whether or not to remove Santos, the speaker previously stated that he will allow the entire House and especially his party colleagues to vote "their conscience":
I think it's the only appropriate thing we can do. We've not whipped the vote, and we wouldn't. I trust that people will make that decision thoughtfully and in good faith.
The vote will take place on Friday, according to Axios and CNN. It was scheduled for Thursday, but Santos explained in an X Spaces broadcast (on Twitter) that if it were done that day, it would coincide with his second wedding anniversary and that for him that would be "kind of not cool."
However, the representative did offer statements to the press on Thursday at the Capitol. Santos assured that the case against him is "all theater" and reaffirmed his decision not to resign from office:
If I leave, they win. If I leave, the bullies take place. This is bullying… The reality of it is it’s all theater. “It’s theater for the cameras, theater for the microphones, theater for the American people at the expense of the American people ...If the House wants to start a different precedent and expel me, that is going to be the undoing of a lot of members of this body because this will haunt them in the future where mere allegations are sufficient to have members removed from office when duly elected by their people.
Santos survives other attempts
Santos, a first-time congressman, was elected last year to represent New York's 3rd District, which includes parts of Long Island and Queens. The Republican was the subject of numerous investigations and has been found to have made false claims about his biography, employment history, criminal record, financial situation, ethnicity, religion and other matters, both in public and private. After he was elected, it was learned that much of his biography was made up, including his education, employment and family background.
The pressure to complete the investigations - and subsequently - oust Santos increased after the Ethics Committee published a critical report in which it was stated that the representative "violated federal criminal laws,” and detailed the misuse of campaign funds on trips, luxury purchases (botox and accessories from expensive brands) and subscriptions to the adult platform OnlyFans.
The Republican has resisted calls to resign and has remained defiant. He described the Ethics Committee's report as "incomplete, irresponsible and littered with hyperbole" (he even initially presented his candidacy for re-election in 2024, then withdrew it). In a House session, he expressed that he has no intention of resigning. This prompted his colleagues to decide his fate for him.
Despite the accusations and court cases, Santos pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges. Amid all the controversy, Santos has managed to keep his seat despite several attempts to have him removed this year.
What do the Republicans say?
In order to expel a member from the House, there must be a two-thirds majority vote. If that happens, Santos would become the sixth congressman to be expelled.
His House Republican colleagues have divided opinions on his case. Nick LaLota, the Republican representative from New York, said that there could be up to 150 votes from GOP members to remove Santos. However, he later retracted his statement and indicated that the vote "might be close."
People are telling us different things as to where they think the vote count is out. I've spoken with a decent amount of people and I feel like we'll get to the two-thirds, but it might be close.
Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., said he is inclined to vote to have Santos removed, but that it would be better if Santos resigned:
I wish that he would step down on his own. Most people that get in this situation – remember, we’ve only done it five times – and I, but most people come to the realization at this point that it’s more important for him to focus on his legal matters and everything like that.
A motion to remove Bowman
Santos wants to 'go down fighting '. In a conference on Thursday, he said that, hours later, he would file a motion to remove Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman for having set off an alarm in the Capitol without any fire.
The Republican representative argued that anyone who had done what Bowman did, "would have been fired, would have been charged with obstructing a congressional hearing." The same thing that happened, he argued, to "somewhat 140 pleople sitting in prision right now because of January 6th." "But Jamal Bowmaan gets a pass."
Axios accessed the ruling against Bowman. The text says Bowman "knowing and willingly gave a false fire alarm in the House Cannon Office Building" and notes that he "pleaded guilty." The Democratic politician entered into a plea agreement with D.C. Assistant Attorney General Peter Saba, which included the release of a statement admitting his guilt and a $1,000 fine. Bowman continued to deny that he had set off the alarm to delay a vote on the GOP stopgap spending bill.
The Democrat responded in a press release, picked up by Courthouse News Service, that Santos' initiative was "just another meaningless stunt in his long history of cons, antics and outright fraud." "No one in Congress, or anywhere in America, takes soon-to-be former Congressman George Santos seriously."
