Impeached Republican George Santos’ brief career in the US House of Representatives could come to an end on Friday, when other lawmakers are scheduled to vote on whether to impeach him on criminal bribery and campaign spending charges.
Santos, 35, has been mired in controversy since his election in 2022.
He has admitted to fabricating many of his biographies, and federal prosecutors have accused him of campaign money laundering and defrauding donors.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He survived a previous deportation attempt in early November, when 182 fellow Republicans and 31 Democrats voted against his removal on the grounds that his criminal case had to be resolved first.
Without his seat, the Republicans’ already slim 222-213 majority would shrink even further.
Rep. George Santos, who has admitted to them many of his biographies, can be charged with fraud. Reuters
His district, which includes parts of New York City and Long Island, is seen as competitive.
Santos could do worse in Friday’s vote.
A bipartisan congressional investigation last month found that she charged nearly $4,000 in spa treatments, including Botox, to her congressional campaign account.
Representative George Santos speaks with a reporter outside his office ahead of a debate on his removal from Congress at the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, DC on November 30, 2023. Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock
He also spent more than $4,000 in campaign money at luxury retailer Hermes and made “smaller purchases” from OnlyFans, an online platform known for sexual content.
That prompted some Republicans who supported him on the November ballot to say they would support kicking him out. Santos has said he may be fired.
He has rejected calls to resign but has said he will not run for re-election next year.
A bipartisan congressional investigation found Rep. George Santos was charged nearly $4,000 for a spa treatment congressional campaign account. Reuters
Removing an MP from the House requires a two-thirds majority.
At least 77 Republicans, along with the house’s 213 Democrats, would need to vote for removal to meet that threshold.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that he had doubts about the vote, but had called on members of his party to “vote their conscience.”
Federal prosecutors accused Rep. George Santos committed campaign money laundering and defrauded donors. Reuters
Santos would become only the sixth member to be expelled from the House, and the first who was not convicted of a crime or fought for the Confederacy during the US Civil War of 1861-65.
Democrat James Traficant was the last member to be expelled in 2002, following his felony corruption conviction.
On the House floor on Thursday, Santos said, “I have been convicted of no crime. The people of New York’s Third (Congressional) District sent me here. “If they want me out, they need to shut that person up and take a hard vote.”
Rep. Goldman’s Daniel Sachs talks about the possible deportation of George Santos. AFP via Getty Images
Santos’ problems began shortly after his election in November 2022, when the media reported he did not actually attend New York University or work at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, as he claimed during the campaign.
He also falsely claimed Jewish heritage and told voters his grandparents had fled the Nazis during the Second World War.
“Every day Mr. Santos is allowed to remain a member of Congress, my New York neighbor to the west is denied true representation in this chamber,” Representative Nick LaLota, a Republican who represents a neighboring district in New York, said on the House Floor on Thursday.
George Santos will become only the sixth representative to be expelled from the House in history. Getty Images All of Santos’ repeated falsehoods have caused many Republicans who once supported him to turn around and call for his impeachment. Getty Images
Reports of the falsehoods made Santos a pariah in the House and the focus of late-night TV comedians even before federal prosecutors charged him with multiple fraud and campaign finance crimes.
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In the 23-count indictment, they accuse him of inflating his fundraising totals to gain more support from the Republican Party, laundering funds to pay for personal expenses, and charging donors’ credit cards without authorization.
Two former campaign aides have pleaded guilty to related fraud charges.
Santos denies wrongdoing, and his trial is scheduled to begin on September 9, 2024, just before the November elections that will determine control of the White House and both houses of Congress.
If Santos is fired, Democratic New York State Governor Kathy Hochul will have 10 days from her departure to call a special election for the seat.
The election must take place 70 to 80 days from the declaration.
Before Santos’ victory in 2022, the district was represented by Democrat Tom Suozzi, who ran unsuccessfully for governor.
Suozzi and 19 other candidates, including eight Republicans, have filed to run for Santos’ seat.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
