Representative George Santos (NY-3) was expelled from the House of Representatives in a historic vote on Friday morning.
The motion for expulsion was filed by Rep. Michael Guest, leader of the House Ethics Committee. The motion received the necessary two-thirds majority for approval, with Democrats largely supporting the vote and Republicans splitting on the issue.
The vote comes about following a recent report by the House Ethics Committee which concluded that there was substantial evidence suggesting that Santos had committed federal crimes.
“The ISC determined there was substantial evidence of violations of federal law, House Rules, and other applicable standards related to many of the allegations charged in the indictment, and substantial evidence of additional uncharged unlawful and unethical conduct,” the report stated.
The evidence suggests that among many things, Santos falsified records and defrauded campaign donors for his personal profit, including spending campaign donor money on luxury vacations and OnlyFans.
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Santos’ expulsion marks the sixth time in U.S. history a member of the House has been expelled and the first time for a member to be expelled without a criminal conviction. Three of those expulsions came to members who supported the Confederacy, and the other two came to members who had been convicted of federal crimes.
The expulsion ended a tumultuous tenure for Santos, which saw him criticized for lying about his background and family history, including claiming his grandparents were Jewish escapees of the Holocaust.
Santos’ seat in the House will open up for a special election likely to be held early next year. The vote has added significance given the slim majority Republicans currently hold over the house.
Santos will face trial in September 2024 for 23 federal indictments, including the ones outlined in the House Ethics Committee report.
