There’s one major news trending right now- George Santos. The GOP representative of New York has been expelled from Congress.
Taking one look at the hashtag of his name shows that almost everyone is celebrating this decision.
But for those out of the loop, it might be challenging to understand why there’s such jubilation over his dismissal. After all, what has he done?
On December 1, 2023, GOP Representative of New York, George Santos, was ousted from Congress in a vote of 311 to 114. Two federal indictments and an Ethics Committee report state that he committed- wire fraud, money laundering, and stealing the campaign donors’ identities. Also, he used campaign funds to cover his personal expenses, submitted fake reports, and lied about his backstory.
Details of George Santos’ Expulsion From Office
On December 1, 2023, GOP Rep. George Santos of New York was ousted from Congress in a vote of 311 to 114.
For a long time, Santos has been facing the brunt of overlapping scandals and federal charges that began when he won last year’s election. He has been accused of financial violations and fraud.
These came to light earlier this year in two federal indictments as well as when the House Ethics Committee issued a scathing report two weeks ago.
Initially, Santos survived two attempts at removing him from the office while ignoring repeated calls for resignation.
The first attempt at removing him was in May. Democrats led it after the original indictment was made. The second time, it was by the Republicans. But he couldn’t survive a third attempt.
Also, the vote of 311 to 114 made it clear that there was low support for him among his Republican colleagues.
Listing the Indictment Charges – What Was George Santos Charged With?
When George Santos won in the 2022 midterm elections, he surprised many. However, soon after, media outlets uncovered the heaps of lies he told about almost everything. This prompted an investigation into his background.
On May 10, in the first indictment, the Justice Department labeled a whopping 13 federal charges against him. This included money laundering, wire fraud, making false statements to Congress, and stealing public funds.
These were meant to enrich Santos as he ran for Office. Prosecutors said the GOP rep. defrauded campaign donors since he urged them to contribute to his limited liability company. Then, he used that money to cover his personal expenses.
This includes credit card payments, car payments, and luxury designer clothing. Also, Santos applied to New York State to get unemployment insurance benefits during the initial days of the pandemic.
Additionally, he falsely informed labor officials that he was unemployed even though he was taking home around $120,000 annually from an investment firm in Florida.
That’s not all. Santos didn’t fully inform Congress about his financial condition on the disclosure statements filed as part of his congressional campaigns.
In October, prosecutors brought ten more counts against Santos. These accused him of committing identity theft, falsifying records, and lying to the Federal Election Commission.
Here are the total charges that were levied against George Santos (via CBS News):
- 1 count- conspiracy to commit offenses against the US
- 1 count- device fraud
- 1 count- stealing public funds
- 2 counts- making false statements to the Federal Election Commission
- 2 counts- wire fraud
- 2 counts- making false statements to the US House of Representatives
- 2 counts- falsifying records given to the FEC
- 2 counts- identity theft
- 3 counts- money laundering
- 7 counts- wire fraud
In the second indictment, Santos was accused of stealing the identities of his campaign donors and using their credit cards to make thousands of unauthorized charges to benefit him and his campaign.
He also falsified the finance reports of his campaign to hit the fundraising benchmarks. This helped him bolster his chances. Santos has pledged guilty to it all. His trial will begin in September next year.
These were just the indictments. On November 16, The Ethics Committee released a 56-page report that uncovered similar allegations to the indictments.
The Ethics Committee Report- What Was George Santos Charged With?
The Ethics Committee report listed George Santos’s lies about his education and career. Here’s what the Committee found out:
“Representative Santos’ congressional campaigns were built around his backstory as a successful man of means: a grandson of Holocaust survivors and graduate from Baruch College with a Master’s in Business Administration from New York University, who went on to work at Citi Group and Goldman Sachs, owned multiple properties, and was the beneficiary of a family trust worth millions of dollars left by his mother, who passed years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as a result of long-term health effects related to being at one of the towers. No part of that backstory has been found to be true.”
Investigators also found that he had committed theft by stealing money from his campaign, participating in fraudulent dealings, reporting fake loans, and deceiving donors. Basically, they added to what the prosecutors had already uncovered.
Just like the indictments, the reports also found that the congressman had used his campaign funds to pay his personal expenses. These include (via CBS News):
“$4,127 at Hermès; ‘smaller purchases’ at OnlyFans, makeup store Sephora; $6,000 at Ferragamo; nearly $3,000 on Botox; and $3,332 for an Airbnb.”
After Friday’s vote ended, he immediately left the House chamber. His expulsion is in immediate effect.
Who Will Replace George Santos?
George Santos’ New York’s Long Island district must hold a special election in less than three months/ 90 days.
The district is labeled a swing state because it voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and was seen as a democrat stronghold for ten years before it swung Republican in 2022.
There won’t be a primary in this special election. Instead, the local Republican and Democratic leaders must choose their respective party nominees to replace Santos.
Santos’ expulsion has reduced the advantage of Republicans over the Democrats to 221-213 in the House of Representatives.
The Democrats will likely choose between candidates Tom Suozzi, Anna Kaplan, Robert Zimmerman, and Austin Cheng. Suozzi is the frontrunner expected to contest from the Long Island district.
The Republicans are likely to nominate between candidates Mazi Pilip, Mike Sapraicone, and Jack Martins.
What do you think about all the charges George Santos is facing? Who can replace him? And will Republicans still hold sway over that district?
In the comments below, let us know your thoughts on Santos’ expulsion from Congress.
Source: CBS News and The Guardian
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