Now that George Santos has left the United States House of Representatives, the sign outside his Capitol Hill office reads, “Office of the Third Congressional District of New York.”
Colleagues removed Santos from office, making him the third member since the Civil War and the sixth in the chamber.
With a vote of 311 to 114, the necessary two-thirds majority was easily achieved, and the member was expelled. Even though House Republican leaders were against Santos’s removal—which would have given them a slim majority—105 GOP legislators ultimately voted with almost all Democrats to remove him.
After a stunning fall from glory, Santos’s expulsion was the last chapter in his congressional career. Even before taking the oath of office, Santos’ life narrative started to unravel, casting him as an up-and-comer after his seat was switched from Democrats last year. He allegedly lied about his Jewish heritage, his employment history at prominent Wall Street businesses, and his educational background.
After Santos was charged with many offenses by federal authorities in May, his continued presence in the House became an increasing source of embarrassment and distraction for the party.
Santos is one of just a handful of congressmen to be booted out of the House. Three of the earlier House expulsions were because members had supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. Following their 2002 federal conviction, the other two happened after the legislators’ terms ended.
Santos had pleaded with his colleagues to allow the legal process to unfold as he sought to maintain his job. He said that expelling a member who has not been formally found guilty of a crime would establish a dangerous precedent.
However, the name Santos will undoubtedly surface in next year’s pivotal New York congressional contests.
To link their former colleague in the state’s congressional delegation wherever possible, Democrats aim to unseat five first-term Republicans.
The outcome of the 2025 House election may depend on how well the Democrats do in that endeavor.
People in New York were vocal in their desire to have Santos removed from office because of worry that he may bring shame to other Republican members.
A trial in New York awaits Santos next year, so his problems will continue for some time. A 23-count indictment filed by federal prosecutors accuses him of deceiving contributors, embezzling funds from his campaign, and providing false testimony to Congress.
