George Santos was removed from his position in the US House of Representatives in a resounding vote.
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The House has removed Rep George Santos from his position after a large number of Republicans and nearly all Democrats voted for his expulsion.
Mr Santos joins only a handful of lawmakers ever ousted from their role, following a damning 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee which outlined “substantial evidence” that Mr Santos violated federal law.
After his loss, Mr. Santos stated, “They have established a risky precedent for themselves.”
A majority of two-thirds was required for the expulsion of Mr. Santos. 311 members supported the ousting, while 114 voted against it and two members voted as present. The entirety of the GOP leadership was against the removal.
On Thursday, while addressing the House, Mr Santos stated that he was content with the decision made through the vote. He also mentioned that he has acknowledged and come to terms with being expelled.
This occurred several hours after he held a press conference, during which he declined to step down and stated, “If I step down, they will have won.” He also asserted that he was a victim of bullying.
Moment George Santos expelled from US House in landslide vote
Mr. Santos was removed from his position after a 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee revealed “significant evidence” of his violation of federal law.
According to the report, Mr. Santos allegedly utilized funds from his campaign for expenses such as Botox treatments, subscriptions to OnlyFans, designer clothing, and personal purchases.
A vote to remove the New York representative required a two-thirds majority. Out of 427 total votes, 311 were in favor of his removal, 114 were against it, and 2 members abstained from voting.
Mr. Santos is scheduled to go to court in September 2024 on 23 federal charges.
George Santos was removed from his seat in the US House of Representatives after a vote with overwhelming support.
The incredible rise and dramatic fall of George Santos
After serving in Congress for less than two years, his record of deceit and wrongdoing eventually led to his removal from office after a damaging report was released by the House Ethics Committee.
Despite facing opposition from the entire GOP leadership, 105 Republicans aligned with Democrats in voting for his removal.
The committee’s report seemed to be the ultimate damning evidence, revealing that Mr. Santos had violated federal laws by engaging in undisclosed and illegal activities. These activities included using campaign funds to make purchases at luxury stores such as Hermes, Sephora, and OnlyFans.
Mr. Santos, who was elected in 2022, is the first openly gay and non-incumbent member of Congress from the Republican Party. He presents himself as a symbol of the American dream.
Bribes, treason and hay bales: The chaotic history of expulsions from Congress
Rephrased: Rep George Santos of New York, who has been embroiled in a scandal, has now become a member of a select group that he never intended to be associated with: politicians who have been removed from Congress.
Even though the entire GOP leadership was against it, 105 Republicans joined forces with Democrats to remove him from office.
On the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter, Mr. Santos, age 35, seemed to come to terms with his situation in a recent broadcast.
At the X Space event organized by Monica Matthews, a conservative figure, Mr. Santos stated: “I am aware that I will be removed from my position when this resolution for expulsion is brought to a vote.”
“I have repeatedly performed the calculations and the results are not favorable,” he stated, proudly declaring that he would wear his expulsion as a symbol of pride.
The most recent setback to Mr. Santos’ brief but eventful political journey was revealed in a 56-page document from the House Ethics Committee, published in early November. The report detailed “significant evidence” of Mr. Santos’ breach of federal laws.
George Santos has been embroiled in numerous controversies, ranging from fabricating his resume to being involved in an OnlyFans scandal.
After being plagued by numerous scandals and falsehoods, George Santos was ultimately expelled from Congress on December 1st.
More than 100 members of the Republican party voted with the Democrats to heavily support the expulsion of the repetitive liar and alleged scammer from the House.
The decision was made following a critical report from the House Ethics Committee, which concluded that the embattled Republican from New York had engaged in actions that were not formally charged and therefore illegal.
Mr Santos has been officially accused as well. In May, he was taken into custody and accused of 13 criminal offenses at the federal level, such as wire fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement of government funds. In October, an updated indictment was issued, raising the number of federal charges against Mr Santos to 23.
Some important findings from the ethics report on George Santos include mentions of Botox, OnlyFans, and a trip to the Hamptons.
The extensive report released by the committee in early November revealed that there was reliable proof suggesting that the Republican Party had misappropriated campaign funds for various personal expenses, engaged in fraudulent activities, and provided false information to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
The conclusion of a lengthy investigation was a severe blow to Mr. Santos, who had seen it as his saving grace against numerous attempts by his colleagues, even those from his own party, to remove him from Congress.
105 members of the Republican party have cast their votes to remove George Santos, a congressman who has been involved in scandal, from his position in Congress.
The majority of the US House of Representatives voted to oust former congressman George Santos from New York. 105 Republicans joined every Democrat in the decision to remove the troubled member from his position.
Mr. Santos became one of five Democratic members of Congress to be expelled, alongside three members who were part of the Confederacy. He saw this as a point of pride.
It is highly uncommon for members of Congress to be expelled, as it requires a two-thirds majority vote from the House of Representatives. In this instance, Speaker Mike Johnson and the majority of House Republican leadership voted against expelling the member in question.
The vote bookends Mr Santos’s spectacularly bizarre jaunt as a candidate and elected official. After initially losing his race in a district in Long Island in 2020, Mr Santos and a handful of Republicans flipped seats that had voted for President Joe Biden in 2022 when Democrats in New York underperformed amid concerns about crime. Mr Santos seemed to represent a new type of Republican as a gay Latino man with Brazilian heritage.
George Santos expresses strong resentment towards being expelled from the House: “I have no desire to be associated with this place.”
When questioned about his impending removal, he stated that he did not have a vested interest in the situation.
“I am no longer a member of Congress, so I am not obligated to answer your questions,” he informed the press.
Gustaf Kilander, Eric Garcia, and Pedro Batista make up the trio.
1 December 2023 23:00Who was responsible for voting to remove George Santos?
Several first-year politicians, including Representatives Lori Chavez-DeRemer from Oregon’s 5th district and Jen Kiggans from Virginia’s 2nd district, joined in the decision to remove the 35-year-old. These freshmen are aware that Mr. Santos is a liability to their reputation and believed it was necessary to remove him. Representative John Duarte from California’s 13th district, who also voted for the expulsion, only won his district by a narrow margin of 564 votes.
Furthermore, other members of the Republican party, including Representatives Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick, who are seen as more moderate, and had previously voted to approve the results of the 2020 presidential election, also supported the decision to remove him from office.
The House Republican leadership, which includes Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, all voted to retain him in Congress.
Klobuchar ridicules Santos for his numerous falsehoods after being expelled.
The locks on the office door of George Santos were changed by the Capitol staff following his expulsion.
Santos was removed from the group following the House’s decision, with 311 members in favor and 114 members opposed to the resolution.
Soon after the vote, the security team was observed replacing the locks on the office that was formerly occupied by the Representative.
During the debate, Santos tried to resist the expulsion efforts by taking charge of his own defense.
The vote was triggered by his indictment on 23 federal charges involving campaign finances and misappropriation of funds.
The locks on George Santos’ office door at the Capitol were changed by staff following his expulsion.
Source: independent.co.uk
