Scandal-hit US Congressman George Santos thrown out of the House of Representatives
Two weeks after a devastating report on Santos by the House Ethics Committee, 311 Republican and Democratic members voted to expel him. 114 members voted against. The two-thirds majority required to expel Santos, who has only been in the House of Representatives since the beginning of the year, was thus clearly achieved.
During the parliamentary debate prior to the vote, the New York MP was sharply attacked by party colleagues. "You're a crook," said Republican MP Max Miller. Republican Marc Molinaro said Santos was "disconnected from reality. He's made up his whole life." Congressman Anthony D'Esposito called Santos a "liar."
At the beginning of November, a motion to expel Santos failed. However, the ethics committee's investigation report has now prompted many MPs to change their stance.
The report published in mid-November states that there is "sufficient evidence" that Santos violated criminal law and other rules. "Congressman Santos has fraudulently attempted to exploit every aspect of his candidacy for the House of Representatives for his own personal financial gain."
Santos "brazenly" "stole" from his campaign coffers. The politician with Brazilian roots is said to have spent campaign funds on the purchase of luxury items from fashion house Hermès, casino visits, weekend getaways, Botox treatments and the online platform OnlyFans, which is known for its erotic photos and videos, among other things.
Santos was elected to the House of Representatives for a New York constituency in the midterm elections last year. Since then, there have been more and more revelations about the politician's sometimes hair-raising false statements about his higher education, his career, his family and his religion, among other things.
For example, Santos falsely claimed to have graduated from an elite university and to have had a successful college volleyball career, and falsely claimed to have worked for the investment bank Goldman Sachs and the banking group Citigroup.
In May, Santos was indicted by the federal judiciary on charges including fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives. In October, the charges were expanded to include identity theft in connection with the theft of campaign funds. The MP pleaded not guilty in court.
Santos has always rejected calls for his resignation. However, following the publication of the ethics committee's investigation report, he announced that he would not run again in the congressional elections in November 2024. The day before his expulsion, the 35-year-old said in a combative press conference that he was the victim of "bullying" by other MPs.
With the expulsion of the scandalous MP, an early election will have to decide on the allocation of the vacant seat. This gives President Joe Biden's Democrats the chance to win the seat. This would further reduce the Republicans' narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
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Source: www.stern.de
