In a decisive move, the House on Friday voted overwhelmingly to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., making him the sixth member in the chamber's history to be ousted by colleagues. The vote, with a tally of 311-114 and two members voting present, occurred despite support from GOP leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who voted against expulsion along with over 110 other Republicans. Many argued that Santos, indicted in May on 23 federal counts, had not been convicted.
Santos faces charges of defrauding donors, campaign theft, and lying to Congress, to which he pleaded not guilty. The House Ethics Committee's recent report presented "overwhelming evidence" of his lawbreaking, highlighting numerous campaign finance violations.
The expulsion vote followed Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, accusing Santos' campaign of unauthorized charges. In an email to Republican colleagues, Miller disclosed that Santos' campaign had charged his and his mother's credit cards for amounts exceeding FEC limits without their approval. Miller indicated that legal fees had incurred in addressing these charges and mentioned approximately 400 others who allegedly faced similar experiences with Santos' campaign.
.png)
.png)
