Lawmakers have mounted a renewed effort to remove US Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from office in the wake of a report by the House Ethics Committee. Santos faces nearly two dozen federal charges of embezzlement and fraud
The motion was filed on Friday by a member of Santos’ own party, House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS), who said Santos is "not fit to serve as a Member of the United States House of Representatives" because of "his egregious violations.”
“The evidence uncovered in the ethics committee’s investigative subcommittee investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment and the most appropriate punishment, is expulsion,” Guest said. “So, separate from the committee process and my role as chairman, I have filed an expulsion resolution.”
The resolution says “Santos must be held accountable to the highest standards of conduct in order to safeguard the public’s faith in this institution.”
A day prior, the committee published a report finding “substantial evidence” Santos had “violated federal criminal laws” and saying it would submit its findings to the US Department of Justice “for such further action as it deems appropriate.”
Since even before he took office in January, Santos has aroused controversy, including that he falsified major parts of his resume, including his claim to be descended from Jewish Holocaust survivors (to which he replied he was Jew-ish) and to have attended Baruch College and worked for several major banks. His support quickly evaporated, with a majority of voters in his New York district saying they didn’t support him just weeks after being sworn in, and members of both parties working to limit his ability to access classified information.
In May, he was arrested on 13 charges of embezzlement and fraud that included wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements before Congress. A 23-count superseding indictment followed last month.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, but two days ago, his campaign manager, Samuel Miele, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with a fundraising scheme in which he used donors’ credit cards for unauthorized payments.
Following release of the report on Thursday, Santos said he would not seek reelection.
Republicans control a narrow majority in Congress, meaning even small gaps in the ranks can quickly flip the tables on an issue, as former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) discovered last month when he was ousted by GOP dissidents upset with his leadership decisions.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), another Republican, described the ethics report as “very troubling” and his spokesperson said Johnson “encourages all involved to consider the best interests of the institution as this matter is addressed further.”