Report shows increased support among House members for expelling Santos

Almost 60 House Republicans reportedly have indicated they will vote to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., following a damaging report issued by the Ethics Committee, including 24 who voted against his expulsion on Nov. 1, Politico reported Thursday.

Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., said in a news release Wednesday that Santos “knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House.”

Santos, 35, already faces a 23-count federal indictment in New York that includes accusations he stole from his donors and falsified campaign filings. His trial is expected to start next September.

He survived one vote to expel him, which requires a two-thirds majority of House members. On Nov. 1, 179 members voted for a resolution sponsored by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to expel Santos, including 155 Democrats and 24 Republicans. Thirty-one Democrats joined 189 Republicans voting against the resolution. Fifteen Democrats and four Republicans voted “present.”

But after the Ethics Committee report, more lawmakers appear to be changing their minds. With Republicans holding a narrow 221-213 majority in the House, the effort to expel Santos would need at least 77 Republican votes to reach the two-thirds threshold of 290, providing all Democrats are on board.

“Rep. George Santos has proven that his ethics do not align with what we expect from our leaders,” Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, who voted against expelling Santos on Nov. 1, posted Thursday on X. “In light of the Ethics Committee report, I will vote to expel him from Congress for his illegal and unethical behavior should he choose not to do the right thing and resign.”

Among 46 Democrats who voted against expulsion on Nov. 1 or “present,” 24 said they will vote to expel Santos if the issue again comes to the House floor, Politico reported. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, who voted “present” on Nov. 1, posted a statement Wednesday on X that after the release of the committee report, “I intend to yes on any expulsion resolution brought against the Congressman.”

In a post Wednesday on X, Santos said he will not seek reelection in 2024. He still could resign his seat instead of facing another expulsion vote. In another post Wednesday on X, which starts with “My year from Hell,” he wrote he scheduled a news conference for Nov. 30, the day after the House returns from its Thanksgiving break.

“What the ‘ethics committee’ did today was not part of due process, what they did was poison the jury pool on my on going investigation with the DOJ,” Santos wrote. “This was a dirty biased act and one that tramples all over my rights.

“Press conference November 30th at 8am on The Capitol steps, I encourage ALL members of the press to attend. Happy Thanksgiving.”