A Republican colleague of embattled Rep. George Santos of New York has introduced a resolution to expel him from the House of Representatives.
The resolution must be considered within two legislative days and requires a two-thirds majority for approval, according to CBS News.
Shortly after being elected by Long Island voters last November, Santos admitted to lying about his business record and education. He was sworn in in January amid a flurry of negative headlines.
Santos was criminally charged earlier this year by the Justice Department with wire fraud, falsifying records and other crimes. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The resolution to remove Santos from office was brought by fellow GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of New York.
D’Esposito spoke on the House floor on Thursday and laid out the accusations and charges against his colleague.
“These charges indicate that George Santos engaged in a serious financial fraud throughout his 2022 campaign for the House of Representatives,” D’Esposito said while accusing Santos of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from campaign donors.
D’Esposito also accused Santos of engaging in election fraud.
“George Santos is not fit to serve his constituents as a United States representative,” D’Esposito argued.
.@RepDesposito (R-NY) introduces a resolution to expel @RepSantosNY03 (R-NY) from the House. A two-thirds majority is required for removal. pic.twitter.com/yabhiSsWsv
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 26, 2023
It is unclear if D’Esposito’s resolution has the two-thirds support necessary to expel Santos.
In a superseding indictment brought this month, the DOJ argued that Santos “devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to steal the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign.”
The DOJ said he “charged contributors’ credit cards repeatedly, without their authorization.”
“On one occasion, Santos charged $12,000 to the Contributor’s credit card, ultimately transferring the vast majority of that money into his personal bank account,” the DOJ said.
Santos said in a defiant statement on social media Thursday that he would not resign and that he is “entitled to due process and not a predetermined outcome as some are seeking.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
