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During debate over his expulsion, Santos, a gay Republican from New York, pointed out he has not been convicted of any crime.
Ahead of a Friday vote on the expulsion of George Santos from the U.S. House of Representatives, his colleagues debated the matter Thursday afternoon with one colleague calling him a crook and Santos protesting that he hasn’t been convicted of any crime.
Santos, a gay Republican representing New York’s Third Congressional District, located on Long Island, is facing 23 federal charges, including fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. He has pleaded not guilty to all.
Also, a House Ethics Committee report offered evidence that Santos, elected in 2022, spent campaign funds on designer clothing, Botox treatments, and payments to OnlyFans, a pornography subscription service. He has been caught in numerous lies about his education, work experience, and more. This includes false claims that his mother developed cancer as a result of the 9/11 attacks, that his grandparents were refugees from the Holocaust, and that some of his employees were among those killed in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016.
Santos has survived two expulsion votes, but since the Ethics Committee report came out, some of his fellow Republicans have shown signs they’ll vote to expel him. The latest expulsion resolution came from a frequent adversary, gay Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, with Rep. Dan Goldman of New York as a co-lead. A Republican, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of New York, submitted his own resolution this week.
Related: George Santos Won’t Seek Reelection After Scathing Ethics Report Released
D'Esposito led off the debate by referring to the Ethics Committee report, “Santos tried to exploit every aspect of his candidacy for personal financial gain. … Congressman Santos stole from his campaign by deceiving donors into providing contributions that were actually payments for his personal benefit.”
He said Santos has admitted to many lies, then referred to the 23 charges and the fact that two former staffers had pleaded guilty to related charges.
Later, Garcia said he wished no harm to Santos but that he must be held accountable for his actions and his lies. “He fabricated his qualifications, his background, lied to the [Federal Election Commission], and [is accused of committing] unemployment fraud,” Garcia said. “That’s why he’s facing a serious 23-count indictment.” He said the Ethics Committee report is “damning and should convince all members to vote for this expulsion.” He urged Santos to resign and avoid the expulsion vote.
Santos said he’s willing to face the vote and that the House has skewed priorities, devoting itself to “witch-hunting” him instead of dealing with government funding, immigration, and other pressing issues. He came to Congress to work for conservative causes, he said. He also pointed out that he has not been convicted of any crime. He is scheduled to go on trial next September.
Another Republican, Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, spoke baldly to Santos: “You, sir, are a crook.” Santos responded, “Hypocrisy, as I mentioned! My colleague wants to come up here, call me a crook. The same colleague who’s accused of being a woman-beater. Are we really going to ignore the fact that we all have pasts?”
Former White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham had accused Miller of physically abusing her when they were in a relationship. Miller denied doing so and filed a defamation suit, which was settled out of court.
Yet another Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, brought up some of Santos’s most egregious lies, including the 9/11 and Holocaust claims. Several representatives from New York districts said Santos’s district deserves better. “Dear God, Mr. Speaker, my future former colleague is divorced from reality,” said one of them, Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro.
Some colleagues expressed support for Santos and said he hasn’t received due process. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said those who want to expel Santos are using a double standard, considering that Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez has been indicted on charges of accepting bribes from Egypt’s government. “Whatever Mr. Santos did with Botox or OnlyFans is less concerning to me than the indictment against Senator Menendez, who is holding gold bars inscribed with Arabic on them from Egypt while he’s still getting classified briefings today,” Gaetz said.
As the debate closed, Santos said, “If tomorrow, when this vote is on the floor, it is in the conscience of all of my colleagues that they believe this is a correct thing to do, so be it. Take the vote. I am at peace.”
Pictured, from left: George Santos and Robert Garcia
