Republicans sidestep George Santos expulsion vote by sending to committee – National | 24CA News
A decision to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress was referred to the House Ethics Committee on Wednesday as Republicans efficiently sidestepped an effort to pressure them right into a vote that would have narrowed their already slim four-seat majority.
The House voted alongside get together strains, 221-204, to refer the matter to the ethics panel, with Santos himself becoming a member of his GOP colleagues in voting to take action.
The freshman congressman has been charged with embezzling cash from his marketing campaign, falsely receiving unemployment funds and mendacity to Congress about his funds. He has denied the costs and has pleaded not responsible.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., launched a decision in February to expel Santos, one thing the House has solely executed twice in latest a long time. He sought to pressure a vote on that decision underneath a course of that left three choices for Republicans: a vote on the decision, a transfer to desk, or a referral to committee.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy selected the third possibility, a lot to the chagrin of Democrats who described it as a “complete copout.” They famous that the ethics panel is already investigating Santos and that it was time for Republican House members who’ve known as for Santos to resign to again their phrases with motion.
“It is simply an effort for the Republicans to avoid having to take an up-or-down vote on whether or not George Santos belongs here,” stated Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.
Santos made clear to reporters after the vote he has no intention of resigning. As he spoke on the Capitol steps, he was heckled by Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman. Bowman yelled, “Resign, save yourself, have some dignity.”
“I understand that politics is complicated, but the reality is there is a procedure,” Santos stated. “You can’t be judge, jury and executioner. I have a right, a constitutional right, to defend myself and I will do that. And I look forward to doing that. I look forward to seeing the process play out.”
Democrats appealed to Republican lawmakers from New York for assist. Many have been extremely vital of Santos, and face the prospect of Democrats making an attempt to hyperlink them to Santos in subsequent yr’s basic election.
“I say to you, if you vote for this motion to refer it to the Ethics Committee, you are complicit in George Santos’ fraud and you are voting to make sure that he continues to be a member of Congress,” Goldman stated.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., made the movement to refer the expulsion decision to the ethics panel. He stated he was personally in favor of Santos being expelled, however added that “regrettably,” there weren’t sufficient votes to fulfill the two-thirds threshold obligatory.
“I firmly believe this is the quickest way of ridding the House of Representatives of this scourge on government,” D’Esposito stated.
Republican leaders have stated Santos deserves to have his day in courtroom earlier than Congress weighs in. The place Republican leaders have staked out typically follows the precedent that Congress has set in comparable prison circumstances over time. The House has expelled simply two members in latest a long time, and each votes occurred after the lawmaker had been convicted on federal prices.
The Department of Justice typically asks the ethics panel to pause its investigations when a member of Congress has been indicted, however there was no announcement of that sort from the committee relating to Santos.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
