Serial liar George Santos is facing expulsion yet again after yesterday's scathing House Ethics report that summed up the outrageous lawmaker as someone who "cannot be trusted." The motion to expel comes even after Santos had already announced yesterday that he would not run for reelection in 2024 — because at least for some in Congress, removing the New York fraudster can't come soon enough.
The 56-page report described Santos as someone who deceived and stole from his donors, set up bogus loans, and used campaign funds to pay down credit cards and make luxury purchases such as Botox and Hermes products.
The resolution to expel Santos from Congress was filed this morning by Republican Rep. Michael Guest (MS), according to The Washington Times, which makes this the second such motion against the lawmaker in a month. (The first motion failed in early November with a vote of 179–213.)
"The evidence uncovered in the Ethics Committee's Investigative Subcommittee investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment and the most appropriate punishment, is expulsion," Guest said in an attached statement.
From The Washington Times:
Santos, who declared after the report's release that he would not run for reelection in 2024, continued railing against the Ethics Committee and his fellow lawmakers in a lengthy social media post Thursday night. He called his time in office "My year from Hell" and said he would hold a news conference on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on the morning of Nov. 30 — conceivably when he could already have been expelled, if Guest's motion is successful.
The motion to expel Santos would require two-thirds of the House members to vote for it to pass. By filing the expulsion motion himself, Guest adds credibility to the resolution after lawmakers were hesitant about voting to expel Santos earlier this month when the question was brought forth by fellow New York Republicans. That effort failed, with 182 Republicans and 31 Democrats voting against it, fearing that it would establish a precedent to oust lawmakers without due process.
However, after the release of the House Ethics Committee report Thursday, several lawmakers who had voted against expelling Santos earlier this month publicly stated that they now would support a motion to kick him out of Congress. Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), the ranking member of the Ethics Committee, previously voted present on the expulsion resolution — as all Ethics Committee members did — also said Thursday she would now be in support of expelling Santos.
The motion to expel Santos earlier this month failed on a 179-213 vote, with 19 lawmakers voting present and 22 not voting at all. For Guest's motion to pass, dozens of lawmakers who voted either no or present before — or who did not vote — will have to vote yes.
Congress will be able to consider the motion after the Thanksgiving Holiday, on Nov. 28.
