George Santos expelled from Congress: Corruption, chopping GOP majority

The Home voted Friday to expel Rep. George Santos from Congress for his alleged finance crimes and his marketing campaign lies, shrinking the GOP’s already slim majority.

Lawmakers voted 311-114 to oust the New York Republican. The measure required the help of two-thirds of the chamber to go. Two members voted current.

Santos is the sixth Home member in U.S. historical past to be booted from Congress, and the third for the reason that Civil Battle.

The elimination of Santos lowers the variety of Home Republicans to 221, with 213 Democrats. This makes it much more tough for almost all to go laws with out Democratic help.

Democrats see his seat as a primary pickup alternative. New York law offers Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul 10 days to announce a particular election to fill his seat, with a vote coming someday in late February.

“I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District,” Hochul wrote on X, previously referred to as Twitter, shortly after the expulsion vote. “The people of Long Island deserve nothing less.”

Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who left the seat in New York’s third congressional district to run for governor, has already launched a campaign to take it again.

Home Republican leaders, together with Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, have been cautious of ousting certainly one of their colleagues and had opposed the expulsion decision.

The decision, introduced by Santos’ fellow New York Republicans, was the most recent effort in addition the embattled 35-year-old freshman lawmaker. Thus far, not one of the motions handed.

However the calculus for Republicans modified following the discharge of a scathing Home Ethics report in mid-November about Santos.

The GOP-led panel concluded that Santos “blatantly stole from his campaign” and spent the donors’ cash buying at locations reminiscent of Ferragamo and Hermès, getting Botox and visiting the grownup web site OnlyFans.com.

Scandals have outlined the New York Republican’s temporary time in workplace. Shortly after successful the seat in 2022, Santos admitted to mendacity about his skilled and academic background, however he denied committing any crimes.

Santos has since been charged with practically two dozen counts of crimes together with identification theft, submitting false marketing campaign finance stories and stealing unemployment cash.

He has pleaded not responsible to the legal costs.

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