GOPers vote against expelling Rep. Santos

Send allegations to House Ethics Committee instead

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

House Republicans blocked a resolution aimed at expelling U.S. Rep. George Santos on Wednesday, a week after the newly-elected congressman pleaded not guilty to a 13-count federal indictment.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia presented the resolution to expel Santos from Congress on Tuesday, but the measure failed to pass in a 221-204 party-line vote in which all Republicans voted no. The expulsion of any member of Congress would require a two-thirds majority vote.

U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park), who represents New York’s 4th Congressional District, said he supported expelling Santos from Congress but said referring Santos to the House Ethics Committee was a more efective way to remove Santos since not enough Republicans would vote in support the resolution to expel him.

“Since we don’t yet have the needed 2/3 supermajority to expel Santos, the quickest way to rid this institution of this stain is to refer this issue to the House Ethics Committee,” D’Esposito said in a statement. “I expect the bipartisan House Ethics Committee to move quickly, and take the necessary action to rid the House of Representatives of this scourge on our government.”

Republican ofcials referred the resolution to the House Ethics Committee, which has been probing Santos’ campaign and fnancial background since March. House Speaker Kervin McCarthy said on Tuesday he wants the committee to “move rapidly” on the resolution.

D’Esposito has made his desire to have Santos expelled from the House to McCarthy, according to the congressman’s communications director, Matt Capp.

Aside from the House Ethics Committee’s continued probe and decision on how to handle Garcia’s resolution, the Republican congressman faces a federal indictment that could land him in prison for 20 years, if convicted of top charges, ofcials said.

Santos pleaded not guilty to the 13-count indictment, which includes seven counts of wire fraud, three