New York Republicans have finally had enough of Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
A group of GOP lawmakers from the state started the clock on a vote to expel Santos from Congress on Thursday, after 10 months of Santos’ notorious lies reflecting poorly on New York Republicans writ large.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY)—joined on the House floor by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY) and Marc Molinaro (R-NY)—introduced a resolution Thursday that would immediately remove Santos from Congress. (Failed speaker candidate, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), also sat alongside the New Yorkers.)
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Santos faces 23 counts of federal charges that include conspiracy, wire and credit card fraud, false statements and records, as well as aggravated identity theft.
The resolution starts the clock for a floor expulsion vote next week, which will require two-thirds of the House to be adopted.
A Santos expulsion poses an early dilemma for newly minted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). With the GOP’s razor-thin House majority, losing Santos’ seat in a competitive special election in Long Island and Queens could make it harder to pass GOP policy priorities. It also could establish a tricky precedent of expelling members who haven’t yet been convicted of a crime—a long-held standard that helps both parties avoid culpability when a lawmaker is accused of a crime.
But booting Santos could also boost the electoral prospects of vulnerable New York Republicans who are seeking to distance themselves from the Santos sideshow.
Santos said he does not plan to resign in response to the resolution.
Santos did tweet a cryptic message early Thursday morning, seemingly in reference to the expulsion resolution.
“Everything has an end in life,” Santos said.
