House Republicans Want to Expel George Santos
New York Republicans plan to introduce a resolution to expel gay Republican George Santos from Congress after more indictments emerge.
A group of House Republicans from New York say they will introduce a resolution to expel U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), Congress’s sole gay Republican, after prosecutors obtained an indictment against the Queens congressman, charging him with 23 counts of financial wrongdoing, fraud, and identity theft.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, whose Long Island district borders Santos’s Queens and Long Island district, announced on the social website X that he would be introducing the resolution, calling his fellow Republican a “fraudster,” reports NBC News.
D’Esposito told reporters he considers Santos a “stain” on the U.S. House of Representatives and on New York state, saying, “It’s time that we move on from George Santos.”
Santos was previously charged in May with 13 separate counts of fraud, money laundering, and making false statements. He pleaded not guilty to those charges, and was released on bail.
After that initial indictment, House Democrats tried to force a vote to expel Santos from the U.S. House of Representatives. At the time, congressional Republicans used a procedural maneuver to sidestep the vote, arguing that an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged violations of campaign finance and conflict of interest laws should be allowed to proceed before action is taken.
Now, however, with the addition of the ten new charges in a superseding indictment, Republicans appear concerned that Santos is becoming a distraction and a drag on the party.
D’Esposito, a freshman congressman, said his resolution will be co-sponsored by several other New York Republican freshmen — Nick LaLota, of Long Island; Mike Lawler, of the Hudson Valley; and Marc Molinaro, Nick Langworth, and Brandon Williams, of upstate New York.
The group comprises half of the New York delegation’s 11 Republican members.
LaLota said he considers Santos to be an “immoral” and “untrustworthy” person. “The sooner he’s gone, the better,” he said.
The resolution would require support from two-thirds of the entire House, or 291 of 433 sitting members (the number would rise to 292 once the two vacant seats are filled). LaLota predicted that the Republican-introduced resolution would easily clear that threshold.
“I predict this resolution is going to catch fire. Many people feel how we do,” he said.
Several of the Republicans sponsoring the resolution had previously called for Santos to resign following the initial charges, and Santos’s admission that he’d fabricated large parts of his resumé and biography, allegedly misleading voters about his work experience, educational record, Jewish heritage, charitable work, real estate holdings, and even his family’s connections to the 9/11 terrorist attack.
“I said he should resign and he should still resign,” Molinaro wrote in a post on X after the additional charges were announced on Tuesday.
I said he should resign and he should still resign. https://t.co/GmxD4FP5T8
— Rep. Marc Molinaro (@RepMolinaroNY19) October 10, 2023
While some Republicans, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have advised deferring any actions to censure or expel Santos until after the Ethics Committee reaches its own conclusions, D’Esposito criticized the delay in the investigation.
“I know that Ethics has been a little busy, but, you know, it’s time that we see some results,” he told NBC News.
Santos has previously called the charges against him a “witch hunt” and has promised not to resign from office.
When confronted by reporters about the Republican-led resolution to expel him, Santos said of his colleagues, “If they want to be judge, jury and arbitrator of the whole God damn thing let them do it.” He later accused those Republicans of wanting to silence the constituents who voted him into office.
Santos later took to X, posting a longer response.
“I look very much forward to seeing the anti-American attempt by WEAK RINO’s (sic) to oust me without giving me my right to due process,” he wrote. “Remember if I’m in fact ousted, fascism will officially be well and alive in the United States of America and these members will be the champions of it.”
Santos also included a veiled threat to any Republicans who support his expulsion, effectively threatening to blackmail his political enemies.
“I do want to remind my dear colleagues — who all but one have deep, long, troubling careers in politics — that I will have a lot of time on my hands to return the favor in the most expedient fashion mankind has ever seen,” he wrote. “I’m done with the hypocrisy and the projection coming from the same individuals for the last 10 months! #PolitcalWarfare does not scare me, I find my strength in God and with him in my life all is possible.”
Meanwhile, openly gay Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) questioned whether the New York Republicans would actually bring their resolution to the floor. Only if a resolution is privileged — and it is unclear whether D’Esposito’s will be — does it receive an immediate vote by the full House of Representatives.
“Great to hear that the New York Republican Freshmen are finally ready to expel fraudster George Santos from Congress,” Garcia said in a statement. “Months ago, every single one of them voted against expelling Santos. He has been able to get away with his fraud and lies for far too long while House Republicans have sat by and protected him.”
“The American people deserved action long ago,” Garcia continued. Now, we will wait and see if my Freshmen colleagues across the aisle are actually willing to bring this to the Floor or if this is just another political stunt. I’m ready to vote to expel.”
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