We Officially Have a Resolution to Expel George Santos (Again)
The effort to oust disgraced Representative George Santos has new fervor, with several congressmen calling for Santos’s removal following the release of a bombshell ethics report.Representative Michael Guest, chair of the House Ethics Committee, said he is planning to file another motion to expel the New York Republican, moments after the release of an ethics report that found “substantial evidence” that George Santos violated federal criminal laws.“I do intend to file tomorrow a motion to expel from Congress and the pro forma session, and then we’ll work with leadership to try to see when they intend to bring that to the floor,” Guest told Politico’s Olivia Beavers.Representative Robert Garcia also announced on Thursday that he would introduce a privileged resolution to expel Santos.Several representatives in both parties who voted against expelling Santos earlier this month have also changed their minds, including Jamie Raskin, Greg Murphy, Kelly Armstrong, and Dusty Johnson.New York Representatives Marc Molinaro and Nick LaLota, two of Santos’s earliest critics, have again called for his removal.The House Ethics Committee’s 56-page report found that Santos blew campaign funds on personal expenses, including Botox injections and trips to Atlantic City with his husband. He also appropriated campaign funds into a personal account to spend on OnlyFans, an online content service primarily used by sex workers.The report discredited Santos’s origin story for his wealth. Instead of finding evidence supporting what Santos claimed was an influx of money from previously held high-level finance jobs, the report found that Santos was “frequently in debt, had an abysmal credit score, and relied on an ever-growing wallet of high-interest credit cards to fund his luxury spending habits.”Confusing his financial history was also a part of the plan, the report contests. To cover his tracks, Santos crafted a “fictional” financial narrative surrounding what he called his “family’s firm,” the Devolder Organization. Yet that group turned out not to be a financial institution but an LLC that almost exclusively received bank deposits and transfers from other accounts operated by Santos.“At nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles,” the report read. “Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”The bipartisan House Ethics Committee said that Santos should be publicly condemned for his actions, which the report notes were “beneath the dignity of the office and … brought severe discredit upon the House.” They opted against recommending any sanctions against Santos, predicting that the process would have dragged on for months, reported Roll Call.In a sprawling online statement, Santos rejected the report wholesale, condemning it as a “disgusting politicized smear” while demanding a constitutional convention.The fabulist congressman also noted he would not be seeking reelection in 2024, claiming his family “deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.”
The effort to oust disgraced Representative George Santos has new fervor, with several congressmen calling for Santos’s removal following the release of a bombshell ethics report.
Representative Michael Guest, chair of the House Ethics Committee, said he is planning to file another motion to expel the New York Republican, moments after the release of an ethics report that found “substantial evidence” that George Santos violated federal criminal laws.
“I do intend to file tomorrow a motion to expel from Congress and the pro forma session, and then we’ll work with leadership to try to see when they intend to bring that to the floor,” Guest told Politico’s Olivia Beavers.
Representative Robert Garcia also announced on Thursday that he would introduce a privileged resolution to expel Santos.
Several representatives in both parties who voted against expelling Santos earlier this month have also changed their minds, including Jamie Raskin, Greg Murphy, Kelly Armstrong, and Dusty Johnson.
New York Representatives Marc Molinaro and Nick LaLota, two of Santos’s earliest critics, have again called for his removal.
The House Ethics Committee’s 56-page report found that Santos blew campaign funds on personal expenses, including Botox injections and trips to Atlantic City with his husband. He also appropriated campaign funds into a personal account to spend on OnlyFans, an online content service primarily used by sex workers.
The report discredited Santos’s origin story for his wealth. Instead of finding evidence supporting what Santos claimed was an influx of money from previously held high-level finance jobs, the report found that Santos was “frequently in debt, had an abysmal credit score, and relied on an ever-growing wallet of high-interest credit cards to fund his luxury spending habits.”
Confusing his financial history was also a part of the plan, the report contests. To cover his tracks, Santos crafted a “fictional” financial narrative surrounding what he called his “family’s firm,” the Devolder Organization. Yet that group turned out not to be a financial institution but an LLC that almost exclusively received bank deposits and transfers from other accounts operated by Santos.
“At nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles,” the report read. “Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”
The bipartisan House Ethics Committee said that Santos should be publicly condemned for his actions, which the report notes were “beneath the dignity of the office and … brought severe discredit upon the House.” They opted against recommending any sanctions against Santos, predicting that the process would have dragged on for months, reported Roll Call.
In a sprawling online statement, Santos rejected the report wholesale, condemning it as a “disgusting politicized smear” while demanding a constitutional convention.
The fabulist congressman also noted he would not be seeking reelection in 2024, claiming his family “deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.”
