House lawmakers could decide whether to expel George Santos. He says Democrats want to ‘play judge and jury’
Democratic US Rep. Robert Garcia introduced a decision on May 16 to expel George Santos from the House of Representatives after the scandal-plagued congressman refused to leave office after a series of criminal fraud charges were brought against him.
Mr. Garcia’s “privileged” motion gives the Republican-controlled House of Representatives until Thursday to consider it for a vote. It is not clear when that will take place.
That vote is likely to fail in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy cannot afford to lose Republican votes in a fragmented Congress.
The 34-year-old Long Island Republican and prolific fabulist, who was elected to office in November, refused to step down after a spate of reports documented his false and exaggerated claims about his income, career and life story.
If asked by CBS News In response to Tuesday’s introduction of the resolution, Mr Santos said, “Democrats are really good at playing judge and jury” and “finding people guilty before they even have a fair chance at a trial.”
“I am confident that the judiciary is blind and not biased like Robert Garcia,” he added.
Last week, federal prosecutors indicted Mr. Santos on 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying on federal disclosure forms. He has pleaded not guilty.
“George Santos is a fraud and a liar and he needs to be expelled from the House of Representatives,” Garcia said in a statement announcing his decision.
“The news that federal prosecutors are filing 13 criminal charges against George Santos should have been the final straw for Kevin McCarthy, but he is refusing to act,” he added. “Republicans now have a chance to demonstrate to Americans that a licensed criminal should not be in the House of Representatives.”
Mr. Garcia’s unilateral resolution said: “It is resolved that Rep. George Santos be expelled from the House of Representatives pursuant to Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, and he is hereby expelled.”
A vote to submit Mr Garcia’s motion would require a majority decision, and to unseat Mr Santos would require at least a two-thirds majority to succeed.
