House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) revealed Monday that he had spoken with Rep. George Santos (R-NY) who lied “about his choice” ahead of a potential vote this week to oust the GOP pol from Congress.
Johnson said during a news conference in Sarasota, Fla., that he and Santos talked “at length” over the Thanksgiving holiday as the Long Island congressman faces a third removal vote following a damning ethics report detailing his misuse of campaign funds.
The report cited the 35-year-old Santos for several campaign finance violations not yet cited in the 23 federal charges against him, including lavish travel and lavish spending on Botox, luxury goods and X-rated OnlyFans subscriptions.
House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) released a detailed look into Santos’ finances on Nov. 16, unveiling a resolution the next day to remove lawmakers challenging the authorization from Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Monday that he called Rep. George Santos (R-NY) to talk “about his options” ahead of a potential vote to expel lying pols from Congress. WFLA Johnson said during a news conference in Sarasota, Fla., that he and Santos spoke “at length” over the Thanksgiving holiday about the Long Island congressman’s future. CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
“It’s still undecided, but we’ll talk about it when we come back tomorrow,” Johnson told reporters when asked about the possibility of the motion coming to the House floor this week.
With the swearing in of Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) Tuesday night, Republicans will have a slim 222-213 majority in the House.
The removal resolution requires a two-thirds vote to pass — 290 “yes” votes if every member of parliament is present and makes their voice heard.
The guest motion is not yet scheduled for consideration, but Democratic Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) could force the issue by filing their own special removal resolution on Tuesday, which must be taken up within two days of the legislation’s introduction , a source familiar with the matter told The Post following an initial report by The Messenger.
Santos, 35, has pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, which allege further campaign finance fraud, and announced he will not run for re-election in 2024. REUTERS
Santos has pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, which allege another case of campaign finance fraud, and announced that he will not seek re-election in 2024.
His former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks and former fundraiser Samuel Miele pleaded guilty earlier this fall to falsifying campaign finance records and defrauding donors, respectively.
Santos avoided two early removal attempts – the first led by Democrats and the second by Republicans – but on X Space live on Friday night told listeners he expects his luck to run out this time.
“I knew I was going to be fired when the resolution of this ouster became unclear,” Santos said on X Space live on Friday night. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look very good.” Reuters
“I know I will be fired when this removal resolution becomes a reality,” he said. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look very good.”
But Santos added that he would “wear it like a badge of honor” as “the sixth member of Congress to be expelled” and “the only one to be expelled without a conviction.”
He also criticized fellow lawmakers for their own decline.
“It’s still undecided, but we’ll talk about it when we come back tomorrow,” Johnson told reporters when asked about the possibility of the motion coming to the House floor this week. AP
“I have colleagues who are more concerned about getting drunk every night with the next lobbyist that they’re going to screw up and pretend like none of us know what’s going on, and sell out the American people, not show up to vote because they’re too drunk or whatever the reason, or not show up to vote at all and just hand out their cards like f–king candy for other people to vote for them,” Santos thundered.
He is expected to stand trial in federal court from September 9, 2024, after repeatedly rejecting calls to resign before the end of his term.
Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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