WASHINGTON – On Friday, Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., Chair of the House Ethics Committee, introduced a resolution for the expulsion of indicted Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., marking lawmakers' third attempt to remove the embattled Long Island Republican from the House.
Guest's resolution follows the release of a damning report by his committee, which found that Santos had sought to exploit his campaign for personal financial gain. The report concluded that there is "substantial evidence" indicating Santos broke federal law.
In a statement, Guest said, “The evidence uncovered in the Ethics Committee’s Investigative Subcommittee investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment, and the most appropriate punishment is expulsion. So, separate from the Committee process and my role as Chairman, I have filed an expulsion resolution.”
The House could vote on the resolution as early as Nov. 28, upon its return from the Thanksgiving break.
Santos responded on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday evening after the release of the Ethics Committee's report, claiming that the committee's actions were "not part of due process" and accusing them of influencing the jury pool in a Department of Justice investigation. He called it a "dirty biased act" that trampled over his rights.
Santos plans to hold a press conference at the Capitol on Nov. 30, two days after lawmakers return from the Thanksgiving break. In a post, he asserted, “I will continue to fight for what I believe in, and I will never back down.”
While Santos survived two previous expulsion attempts, Guest's resolution seems to be gaining traction among members who were previously unsupportive of removing Santos from the House following the Ethics Committee’s scathing report.
Initially, House Democrats led the first efforts to expel Santos, but Republicans referred the resolution to the Ethics Committee in May. The committee was already investigating Santos at that time, having initiated its probe in March. The second expulsion attempt, led by Santos’ fellow New York Republicans, occurred earlier this month but fell short due to most members voting against expulsion, preferring to await the Ethics Committee's report before making their judgment.