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These 112 House Republicans — and 2 Democrats — voted against expelling George Santos despite a damning House Ethics Committee report

Dec 2, 2023, 00:09 IST
Insider
Reps. Matt Gaetz and Clay Higgins were among the Republicans who spoke out in defense of Santos ahead of his expulsion vote.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
  • Rep. George Santos of New York was finally expelled from Congress on Friday.
  • More than two-thirds of the chamber voted to boot the scandal-plagued congressman.
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Rep. George Santos of New York was finally expelled from Congress on Friday by a 311-114 vote, with 2 lawmakers voting present.

But even as more than two-thirds of the chamber voted to kick Santos out, most House Republicans voted against the measure, arguing that the vote set a bad precedent.

"I rise not to defend George Santos, whoever he is," Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said on the House floor on Thursday," but to defend the very precedent that my colleagues are willing to shatter."

Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, meanwhile, argued that the ethics committee's investigation "appears weaponized to me," echoing conservative claims about the justice system writ large.

Santos is now the sixth person in American history to be expelled from the House of Representatives.

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The two most recent House members to be expelled — Democratic Reps. Jim Traficant of Ohio and Ozzie Myers of Pennsylvania — were both convicted of crimes before they were expelled. The three lawmakers expelled before that had fought on behalf of the Confederacy.

Santos has not yet been convicted on any of the 23 federal charges he faces, including wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. He is set to face trial in September.

But Republican Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, argued during a Thursday floor speech that the process conducted by his committee in the lead-up to its damning report had provided Santos ample due process.

In the end, the entire House GOP leadership voted against expulsion, as did a slight majority of the House Republican conference.

Two Democrats — Reps. Nikema Williams of Georgia and Bobby Scott of Virginia — voted against expulsion as well, while Democratic Reps. Al Green of Texas and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois both voted present.

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Below is a full list of the 114 House members who voted against expelling George Santos, according to the House Clerk.

House Clerk
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