Politics

Another GOP Rep. Calls For George Santos To Be Expelled From Congress

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Another Republican member of Congress has called for Rep. George Santos of New York to be expelled from the House of Representatives following his indictment by federal prosecutors on Wednesday.

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said that Santos, who was charged with 13 felony counts related to his 2022 Congressional campaign, must be expelled from the chamber. “The people of New York’s 3rd district deserve a voice in Congress. George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date,” Gonzales wrote on Twitter.

Gonzales joins three Republican colleagues from Santos’s home state – Reps. Marc Molinaro, Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota – who have said they would support a measure to expel Santos from the chamber. Under House rules, a measure to expel Santos could receive a floor vote with the support of just one member, though it would require the support of two-thirds of all members to pass.

By contrast, many Democratic members of Congress have supported a measure to expel Santos. A resolution to that effect was introduced by Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, which was originally co-sponsored by six Democrats, though it has not yet received a vote.

The House Republican leadership, by contrast, has declined to endorse any measure of expulsion, with House Majority Leader Steven Scalise saying,  “In America, there is a presumption of innocence but they’re serious charges. He’s going to have to go through the legal process.” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, similarly, said that “[h]e will go through his time in trial and let’s find out how the outcome is.”

Apart from those supporting his expulsion, many other members have called for Santos’s resignation from Congress, including Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who chairs the House Republican Conference. A Sienna College poll of voters in Santos’s district found that 78% of his constituents want him to resign, including 71% of the district’s Republican voters.

Calls for Santos to leave Congress began after a New York Times investigation found that Santos had lied about his education, professional history and alleged volunteerism. Later investigations revealed controversial aspects of his personal life, including dressing as a drag queen in Brazil and allegedly proposing marriage to a male romantic partner despite still being married to his wife.

During McCarthy’s contentious speakership election in January, where he was elected after 15 ballots, Santos voted for McCarthy for Speaker every time. The Constitution does not require that Santos resign from office while under indictment or even upon conviction, though McCarthy has signaled that he will call for Santos’s resignation should he be convicted.

Santos, for his part, has said that he will not resign from Congress as he fights the charges against him. At an arrangement in federal court in New York on Wednesday, Santos pleaded “not guilty” to all charges against him, and was released on bail.

“It’s a witch hunt,” he said, after exiting the courthouse.

Rep. Santos did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller Foundation’s request for comment.