A group of House Republican lawmakers from New York, led by Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, are moving to force a vote on whether to expel their colleague, Rep. George Santos, from Congress.
D'Esposito called the measure to the floor Thursday as a privileged resolution, forcing House leadership to act on it within two legislative days. The chamber is currently adjourned until Wednesday.
Leadership can table the resolution or refer it to a committee, barring majority support. If the measure does come to the floor, it requires the backing of two-thirds of the chamber.
The privileged resolution refers to his pending criminal charges, acknowledged lies about his background, and misrepresentation of his connections to events like the Holocaust and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., told NBC News that the group had already decided on moving forward with trying to expel Santos earlier this month but had to wait for a new House speaker to allow it to go through.
After waiting a day to let Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., settle into his new role leading the lower chamber, LaLota, D'Esposito, and the rest of the group called the measure.
LaLota claimed Johnson told him to "do what's right, and do what's right for New York."
The move comes after a 23-count superseding indictment alleged that Santos committed identity theft, fraud, and other offenses.
He said he would fight the charges and pleaded not guilty in the original 13-count indictment earlier this year.
Responding to the news of the attempt by New York Republican lawmakers, Santos defended himself on X against the charges and pledged that he would not resign.
"Three points of clarification: 1. I have not cleared out my office. 2. I'm not resigning. 3. I'm entitled to due process and not a predetermined outcome as some are seeking. God bless!" the congressman wrote.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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