House debates Rep. George Santos expulsion ahead of vote today

WASHINGTON — The House set up a vote for today that will determine whether Rep. George Santos will be thrown out of Congress, and the New York Republican used the eve of the vote defending himself against allegations, bashing other members and criticizing the process that got him to this point.

At a cold early morning news conference in front of the Capitol, Santos called the expulsion a waste of the American people’s time. And he introduced a resolution Thursday to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of pulling a fire alarm ahead of a floor vote this year. He said he also plans to file complaints with the Office of Congressional Ethics and the Ethics Committee against members who he said have participated in misconduct.

The House on Thursday afternoon debated a resolution that would make Santos the first member to be booted without a criminal conviction or ties to the Confederacy. It requires a twothirds vote. Santos is charged in a 23-count federal criminal indictment that accuses him of a fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme, an unemployment insurance fraud scheme, filing false financial disclosure statements with the House, filing fraudulent fundraising reports and charging donors’ credit cards without permission. And an Ethics panel report found Santos used campaign funds on personal expenses from paying down his own debt to luxury purchases at Hermes.

Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., on the floor called Santos a "future former colleague" has "lost the right to serve in this House."

And Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., who authored the expulsion measure, said "George Santos has built his persona, his personal and political life, on a foundation of lies."