Rep. George Santos (R-NY) will face a third effort to expel him from his New York House seat after Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) introduced a motion to remove him following his panel's report showing evidence the freshman lawmaker engaged in unlawful conduct that is "beneath the dignity" of Congress.
Guest filed the motion on the House floor on Friday, citing "substantial evidence" from the Ethics investigation that Santos had knowingly violated the law while running for Congress last year and misused campaign funds for personal use. Although the report did not recommend specific action be taken against Santos, Guest and several other Ethics Committee members said it rose to the level of expulsion.
GEORGE SANTOS TO FACE EXPULSION RESOLUTION FROM HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
“Given the intense public scrutiny surrounding Representative Santos and the ongoing activity at the DOJ, including indictments, the Ethics Committee decided to finish its work without going through a lengthier process that provides for the Committee to make a recommendation of punishment to the House," Guest said in a statement. "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. So, separate from the Committee process and my role as Chairman, I have filed an expulsion resolution.”
The committee released its 56-page report on Thursday detailing the findings of its monthslong investigation into the embroiled freshman, concluding that Santos had knowingly filed false or incomplete reports to the Federal Election Commission, used campaign funds for personal purposes, and “engaged in knowing and willful violations” in relation to the Ethics in Government Act.
The report accused Santos of "blatantly" stealing funds by deceiving donors into giving contributions they thought were going toward his campaign but were instead being used "for his personal benefit." Santos allegedly did this by reporting "fictitious loans to his political committees" to incentivize donors to make further contributions but then used those as "repayments" toward his own loans.
"He used his connections to high value donors and other political campaigns to obtain additional funds for himself through fraudulent or otherwise questionable business dealings," the report states. "And he sustained all of this through a constant series of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff about his background and experience."
It's not yet clear when lawmakers will hold the vote on Santos's expulsion, but it's likely to be brought to the floor when the House returns from its holiday recess on Nov. 28. A motion to expel a member requires a two-thirds majority vote, meaning at least 290 members must support the motion if all lawmakers are present and voting.
Santos has already avoided two expulsion efforts in the House, including one brought forward by his fellow Republicans in New York. However, the latest effort to expel Santos last month failed after a majority of Republicans and a handful of Democrats said they wanted to wait for the investigation to be completed before making a decision.
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Several of those members who previously voted against the motion have said they would support his expulsion this time around.
Santos has maintained his innocence even after the report was released on Thursday, decrying the investigation as politically motivated. However, the first-term incumbent said he would not run for reelection next year and plans to hold a press conference on the Capitol steps on Nov. 30.