**House Expels Rep. George Santos from Congress**
*Republican Lawmaker Voted Out Amid Alleged Finance Crimes and Campaign Lies*
On Friday, the House of Representatives voted to expel Representative George Santos, a Republican from New York, from Congress. The expulsion comes as a result of his alleged finance crimes and campaign lies and has further diminished the GOP’s already slim majority in the chamber.
### A Historic Vote
The lawmakers voted 311-114 to oust the New York Republican, with the measure requiring the support of two-thirds of the chamber to pass. This makes Santos the sixth House member in U.S. history to be booted from Congress, and the third since the Civil War.
### Impact on Republican Majority
The removal of Santos has lowered the number of House Republicans to 221, with 213 Democrats. This shift makes it even more challenging for the majority to pass legislation without Democratic support.
### Special Election Looms
Following Santos’s expulsion, New York law gives Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul 10 days to announce a special election to fill his seat, with a vote expected to take place sometime in late February. Many Democrats see his seat as a prime pick-up opportunity, with former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who left the seat in New York’s 3rd congressional district to run for governor, already launching a campaign to take it back.
### Divided Republican Leadership
House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, had been wary of ousting one of their colleagues and had opposed the expulsion resolution. Despite their opposition, the resolution, brought by Santos’ fellow New York Republicans, was the latest effort to oust the embattled 35-year-old freshman lawmaker.
### Ethical Controversy
The calculus for Republicans changed following the release of a scathing House Ethics report in mid-November about Santos. The report concluded that Santos “blatantly stole from his campaign” and spent the donors’ money on personal luxuries, such as shopping at high-end stores and visiting adult websites.
### Legal Troubles
Scandals have plagued Santos’s brief time in office, including admitting to lying about his professional and educational background shortly after winning the seat in 2022. Moreover, he has been charged with nearly two dozen counts of crimes, including identity theft, submitting false campaign finance reports, and stealing unemployment money. However, he has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
The expulsion of Santos marks a significant development in the ongoing saga of the embattled lawmaker’s tenure in Congress. It also creates a ripe opportunity for Democrats to gain a foothold in the 3rd District of New York, while the Republicans struggle to maintain their slim majority. This is a developing story, and updates will follow as the situation unfolds.
