Posted on 12/01/23
| News Source: FOX News
The House of Representatives voted to expel scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., on Friday, making him the first House lawmaker to be expelled in more than 20 years.
A solemn hush fell over the House chamber as Speaker Mike Johnson slammed his gavel, formalizing the historic ouster.
Santos walked out of the House chamber just before all the votes that sealed his fate were cast and did not answer reporters' questions on his way out.
Expelling a member of Congress takes a two-thirds majority vote. The last time a House lawmaker was expelled was more than two decades ago, when late former Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, was voted out of Congress in 2002.
Prior to his ousting, Traficant had been convicted of 10 felony counts, including racketeering and taking bribes.
Santos has not been convicted of a crime, but he has been indicted on 23 counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, credit card fraud and other charges. Santos has been accused of using campaign funds on a number of luxury goods and treatments such as botox. He has pleaded not guilty.
The 311 to 114 vote was strongly bipartisan, although slightly more Republicans voted to keep Santos than to oust him.
Johnson would not answer reporters' questions on the Santos expulsion when leaving the House chamber after the vote, including a shouted query from Fox News Digital on whether his exit and the subsequent slimmer GOP majority changes Republicans' calculus on the current government spending fight.