Republicans Are Finally Coming for George Santos
Six Republican representatives will move to expel their fellow New Yorker and serial fabulist George Santos, calling him a “stain” on their party.
Santos, a freshman representative, has caused nothing but controversy since he took office. He fabricated the vast majority of his personal and professional background, and on Tuesday, he was federally indicted for financial fraud and identity theft.
“Today, I’ll be introducing an expulsion resolution to rid the People’s House of fraudster, George Santos,” freshman Representative Anthony D’Esposito announced Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter.
He revealed the resolution will be co-sponsored by fellow first-term lawmakers Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Nick Langworthy, and Brandon Williams. These six lawmakers were some of the first Republicans to call publicly for Santos to resign once his lies were revealed. All of them except Langworthy won in districts that voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, making them more vulnerable to being voted out in 2024.
Speaking separately to CNN’s Manu Raju, D’Esposito said of Santos, “After the latest indictment I think it’s clear he’s not fit to serve in the house of representatives. He’s a stain on the institution, and that’s why the New York freshmen have come together. He’s also a stain on our state.”
In addition to apparently lying about his employment history, Santos has falsely claimed that his grandparents were Holocaust survivors, his mother died in the 9/11 attacks, and four of his employees were killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting. He also lied about founding an animal rescue charity and producing the disastrous Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
Santos has been federally charged with 23 counts of various types of financial fraud. He pleaded not guilty to the initial 13 in May, and he has denied the additional 10 that were filed Tuesday night in a superseding indictment. Earlier this year, he also agreed to a deal with Brazilian authorities investigating him for financial fraud, so that he could avoid prosecution.
Democrats introduced a motion to censure Santos over the summer but have temporarily shelved it, despite bipartisan support. He is under investigation from the House Ethics Committee, but nothing has emerged yet.
Santos told reporters Wednesday that he won’t take a plea deal in his indictment, and that he plans to stay in office and run for reelection. He said the expulsion resolution is essentially “silencing the people in the 3rd Congressional District of New York.”
Except, the 3rd Congressional District of New York doesn’t even want him speaking for them anymore.