Several House Republicans expressed confidence on Wednesday that there is sufficient GOP support to oust Rep. George Santos from Congress later this week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced on Wednesday that the vote on the resolution will take place on Friday.
Although Johnson admitted to having reservations about removing Santos, he stated, “We’re going to allow people to vote their conscience.”
Following a GOP conference meeting, Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., stated, “I think there’ll be 120, 150 Republican votes” for the resolution, as reported by NBC News.
With this anticipated Republican support, combined with expected overwhelming Democratic backing, the vote is likely to surpass the two-thirds supermajority required to remove Santos from the 435-seat House.
Another New York Republican, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, predicted that this would be Santos’ last week in Congress.
D’Esposito, supported by other Republicans, advanced the latest expulsion resolution as privileged on Tuesday night, initiating a countdown for a vote this week.
He and LaLota had previously led unsuccessful attempts to oust Santos, who is facing pending federal criminal fraud charges in New York.
Only five members of Congress have been expelled in U.S. history, with three expelled for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War, and the other two initially convicted of federal crimes.
Earlier this month, Santos survived an expulsion resolution when 182 Republicans and 31 Democrats voted against the measure.
However, many Republicans changed their stance after the Republican-led House Ethics Committee issued a damning report about Santos two weeks ago, referring its findings to the Department of Justice.
The report found “substantial evidence” that Santos violated federal criminal laws and defrauded his donors. Investigators discovered he spent campaign funds at luxury store Hermes and on the adult site OnlyFans.
“I’ll be voting to expel Santos. He’s a crook,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., on Wednesday, reversing his previous vote against removing Santos.
However, some Republicans, including Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, signaled their continued opposition to the bid to remove him.
Several House Republicans would likely prefer Santos to resign.
Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., informed reporters that Speaker Johnson had urged Santos to resign, stating that it “would prevent a lot of people from having to take some very tough votes.”
Santos, however, has consistently rejected that option.
“To set the record straight and to put this in the record, I will not be resigning,” Santos declared on the House floor Tuesday night.
He argued that the expulsion resolution “sets a very dangerous precedent for the future” and questioned whether one is no longer presumed innocent until proven guilty. He also criticized the ethics report for being “littered with hyperbole and biased opinions.”
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