Speaker Mike Johnson said he has precedent-setting reservations about expelling embattled Rep. George Santos from the House.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers forced votes on two bills designed to expel Mr. Santos by Thursday. Mr. Johnson does have the option to table those bills, but has not indicated whether he would.
Instead, he and the rest of the House leaders have urged lawmakers to “vote with their conscience.”
“I personally have real reservations about doing this,” Mr. Johnson said. “I’m concerned about a precedent that may be set for that. So everybody’s working through that, and we’ll see how they vote tomorrow.”
Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, said that during a closed-door GOP meeting Tuesday, lawmakers made the case for and against ousting the New Yorker.
The speaker said some argued that Mr. Santos has not been convicted of a crime and should be allowed to go through due process for his 23 federal charges, which include wire fraud, theft of public funds and money laundering.
That sentiment has been echoed publicly by a handful of conservatives, including Rep. Clay Higgins, Louisiana Republican. Mr. Higgins wrote in a letter to his colleagues that he was leery of the precedent that expelling Mr. Santos would set.
“Since the Civil War, only 2 Members of Congress have been expelled, and both had been convicted in court of Federal crimes. That’s the standard, and the House of Representatives should not deviate from that standard,” Mr. Higgins wrote.
Others argued that upholding the law and precedent means that booting Mr. Santos is the most viable option, especially after the release of a damning ethics report that suggested the lawmaker committed fraud beyond what was outlined in his litany of federal charges.
Expulsion requires two-thirds of the chamber voting in favor of the move. Dozens of lawmakers have flipped their position after previously voting to save Mr. Santos, meaning his time in the chamber could be rapidly dwindling.
Mr. Santos on Tuesday remained steadfast in his promise to not resign after the second expulsion resolution was forced to a vote.
“This is a half-baked process, and it deserves no respect because it is an affront to democracy,” Mr. Santos said.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.