Representative Higgins describes the movement to expel Santos as a ‘public crucifixion’

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., criticized the effort to remove Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from the House, describing it as a “public crucifixion.”

In a Nov. 25 letter to fellow Republicans, Higgins compared Santos’ case to previous matters of ethics violations in Congress. He noted that members have “always had the opportunity to settle the matter by restitution.”

“Further, in many prior instances of allegations of misconduct, I recall no massive media release from the Ethics Committee,” Higgins said of the panel’s Nov. 16 press release accusing him of misconduct.

“The very fact that we have all read the ‘investigative report’ indicates a level of public character assassination that I have not witnessed through 4 terms of Congressional service,” he added.

Higgins also decried the report’s content, claiming it was “FILLED with conjecture, opinion, and pejorative language” and “stinks of politics.”

The report has “notable disregard for professional objectivity, and it is wrapped in a media incensed public disclosure that any reasonable man can see is the Congressional equivalent of a public crucifixion,” the congressman wrote.

His comments arrived nine days after the House Ethics Committee released its report, accusing Santos of spending campaign funds on personal purchases, including Botox, designer shoes, and pornography.

After the report’s release, Ethics Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., filed a motion to expel Santos, who also faces 23 federal charges related to fraud and conspiracy.

Santos said that although he will not resign, he will not run for reelection in 2024.