A group of freshman New York Republican congressmen have introduced their long-awaited measure to expel embattled GOP Rep. George Santos from the House of Representatives.
New York Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who represents a district encompassing central and southern Nassau County that borders Santos’ jurisdiction, took to the House floor on Thursday to offer the expulsion measure — a rare occurrence of lawmakers attempting to boot a member of their own party from Congress.
The measure was introduced as a so-called “privileged resolution,” meaning it must be considered within two legislative days of being offered. The House is not back in session until next Wednesday.
Reading from the three-page resolution, D’Esposito mentioned the fact that Santos “lied about a significant portion of his background, including his education and previous employment” and “has a long history of misrepresenting his and his family's connections to major events, including the Holocaust, September 11, terrorist attacks and the Pulse nightclub shooting.”
D’Esposito also made mention of the numerous criminal charges facing Santos — the initial 13 counts he was charged with in May, including wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds, and the new charges unsealed earlier this month, which include conspiracy, false statements, aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud.
"Santos is a stain on the House," D'Esposito wrote on social media. "This conman must be expelled."
Santos has pleaded not guilty to all charges and proclaimed his innocence, pledging to fight the case against him.
D’Esposito was joined on the House floor by Reps. Marc Molinaro, Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota — all freshman New York Republican congressmen who represent districts won by President Joe Biden in 2020, much like Santos.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Santos insisted that he is “not resigning” and is “entitled to due process and not a predetermined outcome as some are seeking.”
Expelling Santos from the House would require the support of two-thirds of its members, a potentially tricky proposition in a narrowly divided chamber.
D’Esposito initially announced his intent to introduce a measure to expel Santos weeks ago, the day after the new charges were unsealed, but the House had been without a speaker at the time and largely unable to conduct business. Republicans elected a speaker on Wednesday after weeks of chaos and infighting left the chamber leaderless following Kevin McCarthy’s ouster earlier this month.
In a statement at the time, Santos said it would set a "dangerous precedent" to expel him from Congress without being found guilty.
"Amidst this chaotic mix, more wrenches are being thrown, further complicating matters. It's disheartening to witness my colleagues prioritize their campaigns over the essential work that needs to be done," Santos said. "An expulsion of myself as a member of Congress before being found guilty from a criminal investigation will set a dangerous precedent. This will do nothing other than erase the voices of the electorate."
"Stay strong my fellow Americans, and trust that the process will unfold as it should. Together, we can overcome these challenges and forge a better future for all Americans," the beleaguered congressman added.
After he was first indicted in May, the House voted along party lines to refer Santos' case to the Ethics Committee instead of ousting him, effectively killing the Democratic-led measure. The other New York freshman Republicans supported that move, with D'Esposito saying at the time he only did so because there was not a two-thirds majority.
Some Republicans have urged their fellow lawmakers to wait for the Ethics Committee to wrap its probe before meting out punishment against Santos.