When Republican George Santos was elected to the U.S. House from a Long Island based House seat in 2022, his victory was seen as a major upset in a blue-leaning congressional district. Shortly before he was elected, a small Long Island newspaper reported that many parts of Santos’s biography weren’t holding up to scrutiny. Fortunately for him, the story didn’t catch much attention in the media. A month after his victory, the story burst wide open, with numerous allegations that his resume had been completely fabricated. When he assumed office in the U.S. House, he instantly became a pariah who couldn’t walk ten feet without a swarm of reporters chasing him down.
In October, George Santos was hit with two federal indictment charges, alleging 23 counts of fraud. He pleaded not guilty in the case, and shortly thereafter the U.S. House introduced an expulsion vote against him, which he survived. Weeks later, the U.S. House Ethics Committee released a substantial ethics report against him, alleging federal crimes, stealing campaign funds, and lying incessantly to get elected. Santos, who has often dodged questions about his personal resume, then announced that he would not seek re-election to the U.S. House in 2024.
Despite being widely criticized by members of both parties, Santos has been defiant in the face of criticism. This has changed suddenly, with Santos freely admitting that he expects to be expelled from the U.S. House this week. He has stated that he “doesn’t care” and that other members of Congress are worse than him. As of the writing of this article, up to 90 members of his own party, the republicans, will vote to expel him. The rules on expulsion from the U.S. House require 2/3rds of members to vote yes. With the democratic caucus supporting the measure, and 90 republicans supporting it as well, the numbers don’t look good for Santos. The last time a member of the U.S. House was expelled was in 2002, when democrat James Traficant from Ohio was voted out of office by a margin of 420-1. If this measure succeeds, it will be the first time a member has been expelled in 21 years.
