Republicans Vow To Remove Santos Either With Future Floor Vote or in GOP Primary Following Failure of Expulsion Resolution

Following the House’s failure to expel Congressman George Santos, his fellow New York Republicans are vowing to push forward to make sure he does not return to the halls of Congress, whether that be later this year or in January 2025. Mr. Santos survived the expulsion vote on Thursday by a fairly large margin with 179 members voting to remove him, 213 — including 31 Democrats — in favor of letting him stay, and 19 members voting present. Many House members said after the vote that while the charges against Mr. Santos are serious and clearly have merit, they still want to see the forthcoming report from the House Ethics Committee that is due on November 17. Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, another Empire State Republican, said she wants to see the Ethics Committee report, as does Congressman Jodey Arrington, a Texas Republican. Some members, like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, says that Mr. Santos should not be expelled unless he is convicted in federal court. He is currently facing 23 felony counts, including wire fraud, credit card fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Two of the GOP members who introduced the expulsion resolution on Tuesday, Congressmen Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota, say they will likely reintroduce the resolution by the end of the year, after the Ethics Committee releases the findings of its nearly year-long investigation into Mr. Santos. “I’m confident there will be enough information in that report to make it clear to everyone that what we have been saying for months is factual,” Mr. D’Esposito said. “Listen, he has admitted to a lot of this stuff.” He noted that Mr. Santos’ campaign treasurer recently pleaded guilty in federal court to several charges of identity theft and wire fraud. Even if the expulsion resolution fails again in the future, the GOP is confident Mr. Santos will lose the Republican primary next year. One of his opponents, Kellen Curry, spoke with the Sun on Wednesday about the prospect of defeating Mr. Santos and his other GOP competitors. “On the fundraising front, we’ve raised more in individual donations than any candidate so far,” he tells the Sun. “We are the only campaign that is committed to building a fundraising base — a long-term, sustainable fundraising operation that you need to win these battleground districts.”Mr. Curry adds that “the support that we’re building here in the district, the support that we’re building in D.C., the support that we’re building across the country is truly foundational.”Mr. Curry already has the support of one influential member of the House: Congressman Tony Gonzales, a more moderate member who has taken the lead in crafting the GOP’s border security bills. Mr. Curry tells the Sun that Mr. Gonzales recently donated to his campaign. Beyond Mr. Gonzales, Mr. Curry has won the support of numerous Congressional and executive branch veterans, including Congressmen John Shimkus, Lamar Smith, and Phil English, as well as a former Congressman and secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price.

Republicans Vow To Remove Santos Either With Future Floor Vote or in GOP Primary Following Failure of Expulsion Resolution

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