House to vote on expulsion of George Santos on Friday
George Santos, a scandal-plagued New York Republican, held a press conference on Thursday morning as the looming vote to expel him from the House of Representatives seems to be inevitable. Santos once again refused to resign from his post and claimed that the efforts to expel him were a form of bullying.
Santos declared that he would be filing a series of complaints and would even move to file a motion to expel New York Democratic Rep Jamaal Bowman, despite the Ethics Committee choosing not to investigate Mr. Bowman. The embattled congressman also criticized the Ethics Committee’s report, accusing the committee of not operating within proper legal standards.
The 35-year-old appeared to accept that he would be expelled on Friday, stating, “If this is it, this is it.”
The House will vote to decide whether to expel Santos on Friday, which would require a two-thirds majority. Santos has faced numerous allegations, including using campaign donations for personal expenses and violating federal law.
This latest press conference by Santos comes after months of scandal, with a 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee outlining “substantial evidence” that Santos violated federal law. He has also been indicted on various charges and faces a federal investigation.
Despite the charges and the impending expulsion vote, Santos has declared that he will not seek re-election, but has hinted at a possible future bid, stating, “I’m 35 years old. That doesn’t mean goodbye forever.”
The embattled congressman’s press conference was met with some criticism and mockery, with one clothing brand even deriding his outfit on social media. Nevertheless, Santos remains defiant in the face of near-certain expulsion from Congress.