House Ethics Chairman Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) filed a resolution Friday to expel truth-averse Congressman George Santos (R-NY), who is under federal indictment for fraud.
It comes on the heels of a blistering report from the House Ethics Committee that found Santos had committed multiple violations, many criminal, that included lying to Congress, defrauding donors, and misusing campaign funds for things like Hermes clothing, Botox treatments, and OnlyFans subscriptions.
“Whereas given his egregious violations, Representative George Santos is not fit to serve as a Member of the United States House of Representatives,” the resolution states. “Resolved, That pursuant to article 1, section 5, clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States, Representative George Santos be, and he hereby is, expelled from the United States House of Representatives.”
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As a member of Congress, Santos “must be held accountable to the highest standards of conduct in order to safeguard the public's faith in this institution,” the resolution says.
Guest had previously said he would not recommend expulsion because the process could take many months. However, in a statement accompanying the resolution, he said, “Given the intense public scrutiny surrounding Representative Santos and the ongoing activity at the DOJ, including indictments, the Ethics Committee decided to finish its work without going through a lengthier process. 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.”
The House, which will be on Thanksgiving break until Nov. 28, will consider the motion when members return. To pass, two-thirds of members will need to vote in favor of expelling Santos. An effort mounted earlier this month to kick him out failed over members’ concerns about due process.
In a press release issued after the Ethics Committee’s report came out, Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) said, “I purposely waited for the results of the Ethics Committee’s report to come out before passing judgment. However, given its findings of the facts of this case, I find his behavior reprehensible and not worthy of a member of Congress. I will vote to expel him.”
On Friday, Raj Shah, a spokesman for newly installed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), said Johnson hoped members would “consider the best interests of the institution as this matter is addressed further.”
After the report came out, Santos—who has thus far refused to resign—said he would not run for re-election in 2024. On Thursday night, he posted a long screed on X, formerly Twitter, in which he dubbed his short, chaotic tenure as a congressman “My year from Hell.”
“Looking back today I know one thing, politics is indeed dirty, dirty from the very bottom up,” Santos wrote. “Consultants, operatives, the opposition, the party and more … the one thing I never knew was that the process in Congress was dirty.”
The serial fabulist, who created a phony backstory for himself that included lies about being Jewish and a college volleyball star, insisted in the post that he would “continue to fight for what I believe in and I will never back down.”
“What the ‘ethics committee’ did today was not part of due process, what they did was poison a [sic] the jury pool on my on going [sic] investigation with the DOJ,” Santos continued. “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.”
