Santos on expulsion effort: ‘I will not be resigning’

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) made it clear to House colleagues Tuesday that he will not resign his seat, choosing instead to face an expulsion vote this week which he said “undermines and underscores the precedent we’ve had in this chamber.”

Santos is set to face a third expulsion attempt this week after Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) introduced a privileged resolution on the House floor Tuesday to advance a vote on the matter. 

The New York congressman is accused of breaking campaign finance law and defrauding supporters, as well as lying in his campaign and other ethical violations. He faces 23 criminal charges for his alleged actions, but has not been tried.

Santos argued that he should not be expelled because each of the previous five House expulsions only came after a criminal conviction. 

“This expulsion vote simply undermines and underscores the precedent that we’ve had in this chamber,” he said in a floor speech Tuesday. “It starts and puts us in a new direction. A dangerous one that sets a very dangerous precedent for the future.” 

“Are we to now assume that one is no longer innocent until proven guilty?” he continued. “Or are we now to simply assume that because somebody doesn’t like you, they get to throw you out of your job?”

Earlier Tuesday, he dared colleagues to stick by the vote, telling them to “put up or shut up.”

He’s claimed that by expelling him, Congress could set a new precedent which would lead to House expulsions becoming commonplace.

The congressman survived two previous attempts at expulsion, including a vote early this month.

In an X Spaces talk Friday, Santos said he will likely be expelled if the measure is voted on.

“I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor,” Santos said. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good.” 

Santos’s support is expected to decline from the previous votes, after the House Ethics Committee released a scathing report this month finding “substantial evidence” to show Santos “knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission.”

The congressman is expected to stand trial against his 13 criminal charges in September 2024. He announced earlier this month that he will not seek reelection.

Santos ended his floor speech by doubling down on his position.

“To set the record straight and put this in the record, I will not be resigning,” he said.