The House of Representatives decided not to expel George Santos (R., NY) from his seat in Congress despite having been charged with 23 crimes related to cases of fraud. The representative previously pleaded not guilty to all accusations against him.
The result of the vote in the House was 179 in favor - the majority of Republicans and more than 30 Democrats - and 213 against, so the two-thirds required to make the expulsion effective was not met.
The Republican representative is accused of fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, false testimony, conspiracy against the United States and falsification of documents related to his 2022 campaign.
The resolution to expel Santos was presented by Anthony D’Esposito, Nick LaLota, Marcus J. Molinaro, Mike Lawler and Brandon Williams, five Republican legislators all representing New York.
“I am disappointed my colleagues chose not to expel George Santos from Congress. I believe George Santos’ lies coupled with the criminal charges he is facing deem Santos unfit to serve the people of New York’s 3rd Congressional District,” D’Esposito said on social network X after the vote.
I am disappointed my colleagues chose not to expel George Santos from Congress. I believe George Santos' lies coupled with the criminal charges he is facing deem Santos unfit to serve the people of New York's 3rd Congressional District. (1/2)
— Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (@RepDesposito) November 2, 2023
“I am confident the findings of the upcoming House Ethics Committee report on George Santos will expose Santos’ deceptions and outline what New Yorkers already know — that George Santos is a fraud unworthy of serving in public office,” he said.
Many Republicans do not support the expulsion because Santos has not yet been convicted, so they prefer to stay on the sidelines until there is a judicial decision, especially because of the risks that an expulsion of this type could generate, resulting in a dangerous precedent for similar cases. For now, the House Ethics Committee is carrying out an investigation to delve into the details.
The congressman, 35, is accused of stealing people’s identities and charging his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, in addition to lying to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the public about the financial status of his campaign. According to U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, Santos allegedly inflated the declared campaign income with non-existent loans and contributions, which were “invented or stolen.”
Nancy Marks, former treasurer of the Santos campaign, did plead guilty to fraud, which is sufficient reason for the Republican representative’s detractors to expel him from the House.
According to AP, the judge set Santos’ trial date for September 2024, and in the meantime, he is free on bail.
