Embattled GOP Rep George Santos Learns Fate in House Ethics Investigation
The House Ethics Committee will sidestep any recommendation to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York from Congress.
Instead, the panel will share a public report about what it found after investigating allegations against Santos, who has been accused of a range of actions from casual lying about his past to a federal indictment packed with allegations of identity theft, wire fraud and lying to federal election officials, according to ABC.
Republican Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi said once members of the House have the information, they can do as they wish with it, saying that the procedural steps to boot Santos would bring the process into 2024, when Santos expects to defend the seat he won in 2022.
“We did not go through the longer process of coming forth and recommending sanctions because that would have taken several more months,” Guest said, according to Politico.
“The information that we intend to release in the report, [we believe] that that will be enough for members to be able to make a decision as to whether or not they believe it would be proper to expel Rep. Santos,” he said.
Expulsion is “an extreme punishment [that] should be used only in very rare cases,” he said, adding that members now have a solid base of facts from which to make a decision.
According to ABC, investigators for the committee contacted at least 40 witnesses, reviewed 170,000 pages of documents and authorized dozens of subpoenas.
Santos, who has survived two past expulsion votes, said he has no plans to leave Congress until pushed out.
“Like I said before, I’m staying in office for sure,” he said. “I will take whatever comes my way, the way it comes.”
It might be coming soon, according to some New York Republican members of the House, who said they will call for booting Santos when the House comes back from its Thanksgiving recess.
“The substance in the report will drive other members to get to yes,” Republican Rep. Nick LaLota of New York said.
Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro of New York said the report “is going to affirm and confirm what we already know: George Santos is a fraud; he should not be a member of Congress.”
Earlier this month, Santos said he was bullish on his future in Congress, saying he believes that despite the controversy around him, he could be re-elected, according to CNN.
“Look, could I have won the general election last time? Nobody said I could,” he said. “Elections are tricky. There’s no predetermined outcome.”
Others think it is time for him to go.
“Who knows what’s going to be on this report?” Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said, according to CNN.
“It’s always a wild card with him. I think the people of his district need representation and they’re not getting that right now. Clearly he has a lot of issues that he needs to go home and solve.”
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