Some time after the House comes back from recess a motion will be made, probably by one of the New York Republicans again, to expel George Santos from Congress. The bar is quite high for expulsion (at least 2/3 of members must vote yes) but it seems that will be met by at least 100 Republicans and nearly all of the Democrats.
In a prepared statement, "Speaker Johnson encourages all involved to consider the best interests of the institution as this matter is addressed further." And that's the death knell for Santos' congressional career.
If George Santos were smart he'd resign now and spare us all the extra drama, but he's not smart and so it's almost certain this will play out as a House vote on expulsion.
Source: CNBC
The third time may be the charm: House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., plans to introduce another resolution to expel Santos from Congress, the chairman’s chief of staff told CNBC on Thursday.
Any such resolution will not come to a vote before Nov. 28 at the earliest, since the House is in recess.
Guest had voted against the most recent attempt to remove Santos from Congress. His committee had noted a day before that vote that it would announce an update on its probe of Santos by mid-November.
With the panel’s report now public, Guest and a growing number of other Republican lawmakers appear ready to vote to eject one of their own.
“I did not vote in the past to expel George because I didn’t believe there was due process,” Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., said Thursday on MSNBC, but “I think he’s been given the fair due process now.”
“I purposely waited for the results of the Ethics Committee’s report to come out before passing judgment,” said Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C. “However, given its findings of the facts of this case, I find his behavior reprehensible and not worthy of a member of Congress. I will vote to expel him.”
And what did Johnson say that seems to have given them the green light to finally rid themselves of their embarrassment?
In a statement Thursday evening, a spokesman for Johnson called the ethics report’s findings “very troubling.”
“As members from both parties, members of the Ethics Committee and Representative Santos return to Congress after the Thanksgiving break, Speaker Johnson encourages all involved to consider the best interests of the institution as this matter is addressed further,” the statement said.
Their "best interests." Basically the kiss of death for George Santos' congressional career.
