Rep. George Santos (R-NY) steadfastly vowed not to resign after two separate efforts to force a vote on his removal from Congress came up on the House floor on Tuesday.
The first impeachment resolution of the day against a lying Long Island pol was introduced by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) as a special measure, meaning the resolution would require congressional action within two legislative days.
A second effort to remove Santos was introduced on Tuesday night by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), also as a special measure, and co-sponsored by House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.).
“We will now drop a third attempt at a privilege resolution to remove me from the House of Representatives,” Santos said on the House floor after the bill was introduced, denouncing bipartisan attempts to remove him from office.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the 23 federal charges filed against him earlier this year. Getty Images
“This is the case, in history, five members of Congress have been impeached. All five of them have been convicted in court. All five of them have due process. This removal vote only undermines and underscores the precedent we have in this chamber. It starts and puts us in a new, dangerous direction that sets a very dangerous precedent for the future,” he warned.
“I ask all my colleagues in the House to consider and understand what this means for the future. And to set the record straight, and put this on the record, I will not resign,” Santos said.
Santos said he will not run again next year. Getty Images
Santos, who represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, survived an elimination vote earlier this month that was brought to justice by D’Esposito and fellow New York GOP Representatives. Marc Molinaro, Nick LaLota, Brandon Williams and Mike Lawler.
The resolution, brought forward in the wake of a 23-count federal indictment by the impeached congressman on charges of embezzlement and fraud, failed 179-213, although 24 Republicans and 155 Democrats voted to oust Santos.
Under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), GOP lawmakers rejected an initial Democratic move to fire the new representative, choosing instead to refer Santos’ numerous forgeries and financial misconduct to the House Ethics Committee.
The latest effort to kick Santos out of the House stems from the Nov. 16 release of the Ethics Committee’s scathing report on Santos, which concluded that the lying Long Island lawmaker “blatantly stole” from campaign funds and committed numerous ethics violations.
The report highlighted the staggering expenses Santos apparently made with donor money, including subscriptions to OnlyFans, purchases of Botox, trips to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and shopping at luxury brand Hermés.
Santos denounced the ethics panel’s findings during his floor speech, arguing that they were “incomplete, irresponsible and filled with hyperbole and filled with biased opinions.”
Calls for Santos’ removal have grown since the release of the House Ethics Committee report on the lying congressman. Getty Images for MoveOn
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), who co-sponsored the Garcia removal resolution, blasted Santos as an “admitted liar, fraud and con man” who is “grossly unfit for public office.”
“The time has finally come to remove George Santos from Congress,” Garcia said in a statement. “If we want to restore trust in government, we must start by restoring integrity in the US House of Representatives. It is important for the American people to have a Representative they can trust and who has not built their career on deceit and falsehood.”
D’Esposito told reporters that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not said whether or not he supports his effort to impeach Santos.
“He didn’t say either,” D’Esposito said, according to the Hill. “He has said throughout this process that we have to do what’s best for the district in the homeland, and what’s best for New York. And that’s what we did.”
Johnson revealed on Monday that he and Santos spoke “at length” over the Thanksgiving holiday about the controversial congressman’s choice.
Santos told reporters that the speaker called him on Tuesday as well, and asked “if I had made my decision.” Santos claims he replied, “Yes. Shut up or shut up at this point.”
Santos, who has already said he will not run again, plans to hold an early morning press conference on Thursday.
It is unclear when the House will take up the two resolutions calling for Santos’ expulsion.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
