New York Rep. George Santos, who has been embroiled in criminal and ethical investigations over his conduct, has been expelled from U.S. Congress after a vote by his Republican peers on Friday, becoming only the sixth member ousted from the chamber in its history.
The final vote to immediately remove Santos was 311-114. The bill to push Santos out needed support from two-thirds of the House, or 290, in order to pass.
Santos, 35, walked out of the chamber and into a vehicle outside after the vote. He had fought defiantly against his removal, speaking out against his colleagues in the House on Thursday.
"I will not stand by quietly. The people of Third District of New York sent me here. If they want me out, they're going to have to go silence those people and take the hard vote," Santos said, according to Reuters.
The congressman has been a controversial figure in U.S. politics since the election in November 2022. He has admitted to making up many of the details in his biography, including false claims his grandparents escaped the Holocaust and that his mother died in New York City on Sept. 11.
Santos is also currently facing a litany of criminal charges relating to allegations of fraud and campaign-finance crimes. In a 23-count indictment, federal prosecutors accused the lawmaker of charging donors' credit cards without permission and using campaign funds to cover his personal expenses when he was running for his freshman term.
Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, is set to go to trial on those charges next September.
With the vote Friday, he became the first member of the House to be expelled without being convicted of a crime or committing treason. He is also the first to be ousted in more than 20 years.
More to come
