Led by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), House Republicans introduced a measure Thursday to force a vote on removing Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress over his history of promoting falsehoods about himself and his campaign.
“We must remove this conman from office,” D’Esposito said in a statement.
Santos is facing nearly two dozen charges of fraud and other financial crimes in a New York federal court and is expected to be arraigned on Friday.
D’Esposito’s measure is a privileged resolution, which the House typically must act on within two legislative days, making a vote likely next week. The House recessed Thursday and is not scheduled to resume its business until Wednesday.
D’Esposito previously pushed for Santos’ removal through legislation he introduced on Oct. 11, backed by fellow New York Republican Reps. Brandon Williams, Nick LaLota and Marc Molinaro. However, the legislation did not receive a vote, as the House remained in stalemate for weeks due to Republicans’ inability to elect a speaker.
The resolution contains a highlight reel of Santos’ biggest misrepresentations.
“After election day, it was revealed that George Santos lied about a significant portion of his background, including his education and previous employment,” D’Esposito said Thursday, reading from the document. “George Santos has a long history of misrepresenting his and his family’s connections to major events including the Holocaust, Sept. 11th terror attacks, and the Pulse nightclub shooting.”
Santos has acknowledged that some parts of his life story have not been true, admitting he did not attend Baruch College or New York University and was not Jewish but “Jew-ish.”
But he has stubbornly refused calls to step down from his office, despite abandoning his committee assignments earlier this year.
Prosecutors originally stuck him with 13 counts, covering alleged campaign finance violations ― including spending funds on luxury items ― and allegations of misusing pandemic-related unemployment benefits. He pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this month, prosecutors expanded the indictment to include a total of 23 charges.
Nancy Marks, Santos’ former campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to fraudulently documenting a supposed $500,000 loan the lawmaker made to his own campaign.
“I knew that the loan had not been made,” she said in court Oct. 5, according to The New York Times.
