New York Republican moves to expel George Santos from Congress
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[October 27, 2023]
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A New York state Republican on Thursday made a
privileged motion in the U.S. House of Representatives to expel indicted
fellow Republican George Santos from Congress, a move that forces the
chamber to hold a vote on the question.
The action was precipitated by the filing of 23 fresh federal criminal
counts against the first-term U.S. congressman earlier this month,
accusing him of inflating his campaign's fundraising numbers and
charging campaign contributors' credit cards without their consent.
"George Santos is not fit to serve his constituents as a United States
representative," said Representative Anthony D'Esposito, who stood on
the House floor flanked by fellow New York Republicans Nick LaLota, Marc
Molinaro and Mike Lawler.
Santos, who represents a district including parts of New York City and
its eastern suburbs, has been enmeshed in scandal since his November
2022 election, first facing accusations that he fabricated much of his
resume and then criminal indictment.
Santos pleaded not guilty to an initial May indictment and has said he
will do the same for the new one. Free on $500,000 bail, he is due back
in court on Friday for a status conference.
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"Three points of clarification: 1. I have not cleared out my office. 2.
I'm not resigning. 3. I'm entitled to due process and not a
predetermined outcome as some are seeking. God bless!" Santos tweeted on
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, after
D'Esposito's motion.
Under House rules, lawmakers must act on a privileged motion within two
legislative days. The House is next expected to hold votes on Wednesday.
With a narrow 221-212 majority, the House's Republican leadership has
not taken action against Santos.
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![](../images/102723PIX/news_r8.jpg)
U.S. Representative Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY) and fellow House
Republicans arrive for a conference meeting for a secret ballot vote
on whether to drop Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) out of the race for House
Speaker at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 20, 2023.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
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Newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview on Fox News
late on Thursday that Santos has a right to due process. "If we're
going to expel people from Congress just because they're charged
with a crime ... that's a problem," Johnson said.
Republican leaders could try to avoid an expulsion vote by moving to
table the measure or refer it to a committee.
D'Esposito and his fellow New York Republicans announced plans to
seek Santos' expulsion on Oct 11. But until Wednesday, the House had
been shuttered for three weeks following the ouster of former
Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The charges against Santos include false statements, aggravated
identity theft and credit card fraud, accusing him of using the
credit card information of people who had already donated to his
campaign to make additional contributions.
"He has had plenty of time to do the right thing and resign," LaLota
said in a statement. "The only logical step is to expel him from
Congress."
In order to pass, the motion would require support from two-thirds
of members in the House, meaning 290 votes. Democrats have
repeatedly called for Santos to be expelled, and over a dozen
Republicans have done the same.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Stephen Coates and Christian
Schmollinger)
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