George Santos plots revenge after expulsion from Congress: Live

Rep George Santos has been expelled from the House after more than a hundred Republicans joined almost all Democrats in voting to remove him from the chamber.

Mr Santos joins only a handful of lawmakers ever ousted from their role, following a damning 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee which outlined “substantial evidence” that Mr Santos violated federal law.

Leaving the floor in defeat, Mr Santos said, “They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves”.

A two-thirds majority was needed to expel Mr Santos – 311 members backed his ouster while 114 voted against it and two members voted present. The entire GOP leadership opposed the removal.

Speaking on the House floor on Thursday, Mr Santos said he was “at peace” with the outcome of the vote. “I have accepted expulsion.”

This came hours after he gave a press conference where he refused to resign and said that “if I leave, they win” and claimed he was of victim of “bullying”.

Despite saying in an interview he would go “graciously”, Mr Santos took to X late on Friday night and began laying out his revenge on New York area members of the House who voted to expel him.

Key Points

• Who voted to keep Santos in Congress? All of House GOP leadership, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene

• George Santos has been expelled from the House. What happens now?

• George Santos bitterly reacts to House expulsion: ‘To hell with this place’

• Moment George Santos expelled from US House in landslide vote

The Fall of George Santos

09:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Bevan Hurley reports on what we know about the rise and demise of George Anthony Devolder Santos — perhaps the most surreal saga to have occurred in the halls of Congress.

The incredible rise and dramatic fall of George Santos

‘To hell with this place’

07:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Rep George Santos reacted bitterly to his expulsion from the House of Representatives after saying before the vote that he would leave “graciously”.

“The House spoke, that’s their vote. They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” he said after the vote, according to CNN.

He was asked if he would remain and utilize his nonmember privileges since he’s not yet convicted of any crimes, he said: “Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place.”

“I had no skin in the game,” he added when asked if he knew he was about to be removed.

“You know what? As unofficially no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer your questions,” he told the press.

It was quite an exit as Eric Garcia and Gustaf Kilander report.

George Santos bitterly reacts to House expulsion: ‘To hell with this place’

Who voted to expel Santos?

05:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Less than half of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to expel former congressman George Santos, but the ones who did so came mostly from endangered districts, swing states or were his fellow New Yorkers.

Mr Santos was one of 18 Republicans who in 2022 won in a district that had voted for President Joe Biden. All 17 of his fellow Biden-district Republicans--including his five fellow freshman Republicans in New York who won seats last year--voted to expel Mr Santos.

Other freshmen who flipped seats such as Reps Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon’s 5th district, Jen Kiggans of Virginia’s 2nd also voted to boot the 35-year-old. Many of them know that Mr Santos is a drag on their brand and needed to kick him out. For instance, Rep John Duarte of California’s 13th district, who also voted to expel, only won his district by 564 votes.

In addition, other Republicans such as Reps Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick, who are considered more moderate Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results, also voted to kick him out.

Continued...

Voices: George Santos may be gone - but there will be more of his kind

03:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

George Santos got what he wanted.

I first realised this about the now-expelled New York Republican during the speaker’s race in October, when he started shouting at a pro-Palestinian activist who had questioned him earlier. I had caught him coming out of the meeting room in the Longworth House Office Building and asked him about Jim Jordan when he caught the activist and shouted “you are human scum.”

Immediately, all of the reporters moved from covering the GOP disarray and zeroed in on him, effectively turning it into a reality show. And that’s how he wanted it. He got all of the Washington press corps, the House Republican conference and even some Democrats to play along with his charade as he distracted from his legal troubles.

That’s why the House vote to expel him will not deter him. He turned every attempt to shame him into an opportunity. Furthermore, Republicans in the House of Representatives have created an ecosystem that disincentivizes policymaking and instead elevates people who see Congress as a way to build their brand rather than make a difference.

And the press is just as guilty of giving him what he wants as anyone else.

Read on...

George Santos may be gone - but there will be more of his kind

Whither the Republican majority?

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The many, many scandals of George Santos

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Dogged by surely one of the oddest scandals to hit American politics in the last few years, Mr Santos has been facing calls for his expulsion and resignation even before he was seated as representative for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

John Bowden takes a look back at how Mr Santos’ scandal-plagued political career evolved – from the beginning to its abrupt end:

From a resume of lies to an OnlyFans scandal: George Santos’s many controversies

Santos refuses to answer if he’s been asked to be on reality TV

00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

On Thursday afternoon, Olivia Beavers of Politico asked Mr Santos if he had been asked to appear on a reality TV show.

“Olivia, I’m not going to answer that,” he said.

Garrett Haake of NBC News noted that it was “not a no”.

The George Santos chronicles: A timeline

23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Dogged by surely one of the oddest scandals to hit American politics in the last few years, Mr Santos faced calls for his expulsion and resignation even before he was seated as representative for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

John Bowden takes a look back at how Mr Santos’ scandal-plagued political career evolved – from the beginning to its abrupt end:

From a resume of lies to an OnlyFans scandal: George Santos’s many controversies

Kimmel to Santos: ‘Have a good time in jail’

22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

During his show on Thursday night, Mr Kimmel took aim at Mr Santos, expressing his disbelief at how long it has taken the House to expel him.

“This is like if a mental patient escaped the hospital and wandered into an air traffic control tower and then a year later he was still up there landing planes,” he joked.

Despite the uncertainty, Mr Kimmel noted that Mr Santos is making the most of his remaining time in the spotlight, holding a fiery press conference in front of the Capitol on Thursday in which he criticised Congress colleagues for “wasting the American people’s time”.

Jimmy Kimmel roasts George Santos ahead of expulsion vote

21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Moment George Santos expelled from US House in landslide vote

‘To hell with this place’

20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

As he flounced down the steps of the US Capitol on Friday with his raincoat on his shoulders like a cape, Rep George Santos certainly reacted bitterly to his expulsion from the House of Representatives despite earlier having said before the vote that he would leave “graciously”.

“The House spoke, that’s their vote. They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” he said after the vote, according to CNN.

He was asked if he would remain and utilize his nonmember privileges since he’s not yet convicted of any crimes, he said: “Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place.”

“I had no skin in the game,” he added when asked if he knew he was about to be removed.

“You know what? As unofficially no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer your questions,” he told the press.

Eric Garcia and Gustaf Kilander filed this report on the disgraced former congressman’s exit.

George Santos bitterly reacts to House expulsion: ‘To hell with this place’

What now for George Santos’s district?

19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The expulsion of scandal-ridden freshman Congressman George Santos has lit the fuse of a mad dash to replace him, with Democrats eager to reclaim the seat the infamous fabulist nabbed in the 2022 midterms.

Mr Santos was ousted on Friday after more than two-thirds of the House voted to remove him from the chamber. He was booted after a litany of scandals and criminal charges, with the unravelling of his political career beginning before he even took office in January of this year.

The last Republican to represent the area was Rep Rick Lazio, who left Congress after losing the New York Senate election in 2000 to then-First Lady and subsequent Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Gustaf Kilander explains what happens next as the expulsion tees up a special election in a crucial presidential election year.

George Santos has been expelled from the House. What happens now?

What revelations were in the House ethics committee report?

18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The long-awaited House Ethics Committee investigation into George Santos landed hard – becoming the final nail in the coffin of the New York representative’s scandalous time on Capitol Hill.

The lengthy report from the committee published in early November stated that there was credible evidence to indicate that the Republican misused campaign funds for a wide range of personal expenses, committed fraud, and misled the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

It was a damning end to a months-long investigation which had, until then, been Mr Santos’s golden ticket to survive the repeated efforts by his fellow lawmakers — including Republicans from his own state — to kick him out of Congress.

John Bowden has the story of fraud, fraud, and more fraud...

From Botox to OnlyFans: Key revelations in George Santos ethics report

Republican lawmaker threatens ex-staffer in expletive-filled tirade

18:06 , Oliver O'Connell

A Republican congressman was caught on camera at a Washington DC holiday party on Thursday threatening a former staffer in an expletive-filled tirade.

Rep Brandon Williams, who represents part of upstate New York, was seen jabbing his finger at Michael Gordon, his former campaign manager, during the event at the International Spy Museum.

As Mr Gordon protests, Rep Williams shouts at him: “You f*** with my family, I’ll end every relationship you have.”

Read on...

GOP congressman filmed threatening ex-staffer in expletive-filled tirade

George Santos: An incredible rise... and a dramatic fall

17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Congressman George Santos’ shortlived tenure has been anything but dull — his rise to power and fall from grace have been equally mired in controversy.

After less than two years in Congress, his list of lies and scandals finally caught up with him, as he was ousted from Congress following the release of a damning House Ethics Committee report.

On 1 December, Mr Santos became only the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the House, with a vote of 311 to 114.

Though the entire GOP leadership opposed his removal, 105 Republicans joined with Democrats in pushing him out.

The committee report appeared to be the final nail in the coffin, finding “substantial evidence” that Mr Santos had broken federal laws after finding “additional uncharged and unlawful conduct,” which included using campaign funds to make purchases at Hermes, Sephora and OnlyFans.

Bevan Hurley tracked one of the shortest and most colourful careers in congressional history.

The incredible rise and dramatic fall of George Santos

Whither the Republican majority?

16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Who voted to keep Santos in Congress?

16:15 , Eric Garcia

Less than half of a majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to expel former congressman George Santos, but the ones who did so came mostly from endangered districts, swing states or were his fellow New Yorkers.

Mr Santos was one of 18 Republicans who in 2022 won in a district that had voted for President Joe Biden. All 17 of his fellow Biden-district Republicans--including his five fellow freshman Republicans in New York who won seats last year--voted to expel Mr Santos.

Other freshmen who flipped seats such as Reps Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon’s 5th district, Jen Kiggans of Virginia’s 2nd also voted to boot the 35-year-old. Many of them know that Mr Santos is a drag on their brand and needed to kick him out. For instance, Rep John Duarte of California’s 13th district, who also voted to expel, only won his district by 564 votes.

In addition, other Republicans such as Reps Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick, who are considered more moderate Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results, also voted to kick him out.

At the same time, House Republican leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise; fellow New Yorker and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer all voted to keep him in Congress.

Similarly, many archconservative Republicans such as Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, and Tim Burchett of Tennessee voted to keep him in office.

Several other Republicans from swing districts voted to keep him in office. Rep Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who only won her re-election in Colorado’s 3rd district by 546 votes last year, voted against expulsion.

Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who had called for his resignation, also voted against expulsion.

21:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Moment George Santos expelled from US House in landslide vote

Santos says his community service will be to clean up Congress

16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Unrepentant disgraced ex-Republican representative George Santos has decided that in filing all of these ethics reports against his former colleagues he is assuming a new role to sweep clean the halls of the US Capitol of corruption.

Check out his new bio on X:

...but wait, there’s more

15:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Three other tri-state area representatives are also in Mr Santos’s sights as his revenge tour gets underway.

Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of upstate New York:

Republican Congressman Nick LaLota of Long Island:

And Democratic Congressman Rob Menendez of New Jersey, son of Senator Bob Menendez (currently under investigation regarding overseas dealings):

After making the allegations against the four New York area reps, Mr Santos signed off for the night at 12.42am.

Stay tuned...

George Santos begins to plot his revenge

15:30 , Oliver O'Connell

George Santos is not going quietly.

After his exit from the Capitol on Friday afternoon there was silence from the disgraced former Republican congressman. That is, until 11.35pm that night when he took aim at his first target, fellow New York Republican Rep Nicole Malliotakis.

He not only accused her of insider trading but also made claims about her personal life.

Mr Santos then said he would be filing an ethics complaint against the Staten Island rep.

Today’s papers in New York

15:25 , Oliver O'Connell

...and then brand him a ‘woman beater’?

15:15 , Oliver O'Connell

George Santos brands GOP lawmaker a ‘woman beater’

Did George Santos defraud a fellow GOP congressman?

15:00 , Oliver O'Connell

An Ohio Republican who got into a contentious exchange with now-former New York congressman George Santos said he called himself a “victim” of the expelled Empire State representative because Mr Santos’s campaign ran up massive fake tabs on credit cards belonging to him and his mother.

In a letter distributed to fellow House members ahead of the historic vote to expel Mr Santos, Representative Max Miller said the ex-freshman representative’s 2022 campaign “had charged my personal credit card — and the personal card of my Mother — for contribution amounts that exceeded FEC limits”.

“Neither my Mother nor I approved these charges or were aware of them,” he continued, adding that he has expended “tens of thousands of dollars” in legal fees while trying to resolve the situation.

Andrew Feinberg has the full story.

GOP congressman claims he and his mother were defrauded by George Santos

105 Republicans vote to expel disgraced congressman George Santos from Congress

14:00 , Eric Garcia

The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to expel now-former congressman George Santos of New York, with 105 of his Republicans joining every Democrat to remove the embattled member from office.

Mr Santos joined the ranks of five other members of Congress--all of them Democrats and three of whom were members of the Confederacy--to be expelled, which he said he considered a badge of honor.

Votes to expel members of Congress are extraordinarily rare and require a two-thirds majority of the House of Representatives. The vote came after Speaker Mike Johnson and most of House Republican leadership voted to keep him in the House of Representatives.

The vote bookends Mr Santos’s spectacularly bizarre jaunt as a candidate and elected official. After initially losing his race in a district in Long Island in 2020, Mr Santos and a handful of Republicans flipped seats that had voted for President Joe Biden in 2022 when Democrats in New York underperformed amid concerns about crime. Mr Santos seemed to represent a new type of Republican as a gay Latino man with Brazilian heritage.

READ MORE

George Santos bitterly reacts to House expulsion: ‘To hell with this place’

13:00 , Gustaf Kilander, Eric Garcia

Rep George Santos reacted bitterly to his expulsion from the House of Representatives after saying before the vote that he would leave “graciously”.

“The House spoke, that’s their vote. They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” he said after the vote, according to CNN.

He was asked if he would remain and utilize his nonmember privileges since he’s not yet convicted of any crimes, he said: “Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place.”

“I had no skin in the game,” he added when asked if he knew he was about to be removed.

“You know what? As unofficially no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer your questions,” he told the press.

READ MORE

Who voted to expel George Santos?

12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

One hundred five Republicans voted to expel Mr Santos, while 112 voted to keep him in office. Five Republicans didn’t vote.

Among the Democrats, 206 members voted to boot Mr Santos, and two voted to keep him in place, whole three didn’t vote.

The two Democrats who voted to keep Mr Santos in the House were Reps Bobby Scott of Virginia and Nikema Williams of Georgia – fellow Democrats Jonathan Jackson of Illinois and Al Green of Texas voted present.

In total, 311 members voted to remove Mr Santos, easily crossing the two-third threshold of 290 – 114 members voted against his removal, two voted present, and eight didn’t vote.

Read the full list of how each member voted

Santos refuses to answer if he’s been asked to be on reality TV

11:00 , Gustaf Kilander

On Thursday afternoon, Olivia Beavers of Politico asked Mr Santos if he had been asked to appear on a reality TV show.

“Olivia, I’m not going to answer that,” he said.

Garrett Haake of NBC News noted that it was “not a no”.

George Santos's former district is ripe picking for the Democrats

10:00 , Eric Garcia

George Santos no longer represents New York’s 3rd district after 11 months as its congressman. Many of his constituents will likely be happy he is gone.

His expulsion will now trigger a new election. But as he hails from a district that normally goes blue, Democrats have an opportunity to pick up a seat and reduce the House GOP majority by one seat.

In 2020, Mr Santos tried running against incumbent Democratic Rep Tom Suozzi, who beat him by 13 points in a district that Joe Biden had won by about eight points.

When Mr Suozzi ran for governor in 2022, that left the seat open. Democrats in New York that year attempted to draw a congressional district map that was more favourable to the Democrats, which kept the 3rd district and every other district the same.

But incumbent Democratic Gov Kathy Hochul, who was running for a full term after she replaced disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo, severely underperformed in her race against then-congressman Lee Zeldin, winning by only 6.4 points in a state that Mr Biden won by 23.2 points in 2020.

Mr Zeldin won Nassau County, which includes Long Island and the 3rd district, by 10.5 points – flipping a county Mr Biden won in 2020.

Mr Santos won largely on the coattails of Mr Zeldin’s prowess and concerns about crime in New York City proper, given that Mr Santos’s district also includes parts of Queens.

Democrats will certainly be licking their chops in an attempt to flip the seat. Indeed, Mr Suozzi, who lost the primary against Ms Hochul, is running for his old seat, as are other candidates.

Democrats have overperformed in special elections ever since the Dobbs v Jackson decision last year that overturned Roe v Wade. But Republicans, now free of the stain of Mr Santos, will likely pour money into the seat and say that their next candidate will be more morally scrupulous than Mr Santos.

As of right now, the race can best be considered leaning toward the Democrats, but the GOP still has a shot.

House Majority PAC plans to spend big to take back Santos district

09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The House Democratic super PAC has revealed their plans to “a significant role in the NY-03 special election, and we will do whatever it takes to flip this district blue,” House Majority PAC President Mike Smith said, according to CNN.

Who voted to keep Santos in Congress? All of House GOP leadership, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene

08:00 , Eric Garcia

Less than half of a majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to expel former congressman George Santos, but the ones who did so came mostly from endangered districts, swing states or were his fellow New Yorkers.

Mr Santos was one of 18 Republicans who in 2022 won in a district that had voted for President Joe Biden. All 17 of his fellow Biden-district Republicans--including his five fellow freshman Republicans in New York who won seats last year--voted to expel Mr Santos.

Other freshmen who flipped seats such as Reps Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon’s 5th district, Jen Kiggans of Virginia’s 2nd also voted to boot the 35-year-old. Many of them know that Mr Santos is a drag on their brand and needed to kick him out. For instance, Rep John Duarte of California’s 13th district, who also voted to expel, only won his district by 564 votes.

In addition, other Republicans such as Reps Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick, who are considered more moderate Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results, also voted to kick him out.

At the same time, House Republican leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise; fellow New Yorker and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer all voted to keep him in Congress.

Similarly, many archconservative Republicans such as Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, and Tim Burchett of Tennessee voted to keep him in office.

Several other Republicans from swing districts voted to keep him in office. Rep Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who only won her re-election in Colorado’s 3rd district by 546 votes last year, voted against expulsion.

Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who had called for his resignation, also voted against expulsion.

‘I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District'

07:00 , Gustaf Kilander

New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X on Friday, “I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District”.

“The people of Long Island deserve nothing less,” she added.

The expulsion of scandal-ridden freshman Congressman George Santos has lit the fuse of a mad dash to replace him, with Democrats eager to reclaim the seat the infamous fabulist nabbed in the 2022 midterms.

Mr Santos was ousted on Friday after more than two-thirds of the House voted to remove him from the chamber. He was booted after a litany of scandals and criminal charges, with the unravelling of his political career beginning before he even took office in January of this year.

The last Republican to represent the area was Rep Rick Lazio, who left Congress after losing the New York Senate election in 2000 to then-First Lady and subsequent Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

What happens now?

George Santos bitterly reacts to House expulsion: ‘To hell with this place’

06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep George Santos reacted bitterly to his expulsion from the House of Representatives after saying before the vote that he would leave “graciously”.

“The House spoke, that’s their vote. They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” he said after the vote, according to CNN.

He was asked if he would remain and utilize his nonmember privileges since he’s not yet convicted of any crimes, he said: “Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place.”

“I had no skin in the game,” he added when asked if he knew he was about to be removed.

“You know what? As unofficially no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer your questions,” he told the press.

He appeared on Fox & Friends on Friday morning ahead of the vote to expel him saying that he would leave the chamber “graciously” if pushed out.

“If it is God’s will to keep me here I will stay and if it is God’s will for me to leave I will do so graciously,” he said.

READ MORE

George Santos has been expelled from the House. What happens now?

05:00 , Gustaf.Kilander

The expulsion of scandal-ridden freshman Congressman George Santos has lit the fuse of a mad dash to replace him, with Democrats eager to reclaim the seat the infamous fabulist nabbed in the 2022 midterms.

Mr Santos was ousted on Friday after more than two-thirds of the House voted to remove him from the chamber. He was booted after a litany of scandals and criminal charges, with the unravelling of his political career beginning before he even took office in January of this year.

The last Republican to represent the area was Rep Rick Lazio, who left Congress after losing the New York Senate election in 2000 to then-First Lady and subsequent Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

What happens now?

VOICES: George Santos may be gone - but there will be more of his kind

04:15 , Eric Garcia

George Santos got what he wanted.

I first realised this about the now-expelled New York Republican during the speaker’s race in October, when he started shouting at a pro-Palestinian activist who had questioned him earlier. I had caught him coming out of the meeting room in the Longworth House Office Building and asked him about Jim Jordan when he caught the activist and shouted “you are human scum.”

Immediately, all of the reporters moved from covering the GOP disarray and zeroed in on him, effectively turning it into a reality show. And that’s how he wanted it. He got all of the Washington press corps, the House Republican conference and even some Democrats to play along with his charade as he distracted from his legal troubles.

READ MORE

Moment George Santos expelled from US House in landslide vote

03:30 , Oliver Browning

George Santos has been expelled from the US House of Representatives after more than a hundred Republicans joined almost all Democrats in voting to remove him from the chamber.

Mr Santos has been ousted from his role following a damning 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee which outlined “substantial evidence” that he violated federal law.

The report claims Mr Santos used campaign money on Botox, OnlyFans, designer fashion and personal purchases.

A two-thirds majority was needed to expel the New York representative – 311 members backed his ouster while 114 voted against it and two members voted present.

Mr Santos is due to stand trial on 23 federal charges in September 2024.

The incredible rise and dramatic fall of George Santos

02:45 , Bevan Hurley

Congressman George Santos’ shortlived tenure has been anything but dull — his rise to power and fall from grace have been equally mired in controversy.

After less than two years in Congress, his list of lies and scandals finally caught up with him, as he was ousted from Congress following the release of a damning House Ethics Committee report.

On 1 December, Mr Santos became only the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the House, with a vote of 311 to 114.

Though the entire GOP leadership opposed his removal, 105 Republicans joined with Democrats in pushing him out.

The committee report appeared to be the final nail in the coffin, finding “substantial evidence” that Mr Santos had broken federal laws after finding “additional uncharged and unlawful conduct,” which included using campaign funds to make purchases at Hermes, Sephora and OnlyFans.

In 2022, Mr Santos was elected as the Republican Party’s first openly gay, non-incumbent member of Congress, and touted himself as a living embodiment of the American dream.

But he has since been exposed as a serial fabricator, and now an accused criminal.

READ MORE

Bribes, treason and hay bales: The chaotic history of expulsions from Congress

02:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Scandal-plagued New York Rep George Santos has now joined an exclusive group of people he never wanted to be part of: lawmakers who have been expelled from Congress.

On 1 December, Mr Santos became only the sixth lawmaker to lose an expulsion vote and be ousted from the House in American history – and only the third since 1861.

After two years of controversy, topped off with a damning House Ethics Committee report, House lawmakers voted 311 to 114 for his removal.

Though the entire GOP leadership opposed the expulsion, 105 Republicans joined with Democrats in pushing him out.

Mr Santos, 35, appeared to accept his fate in a broadcast on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, days earlier.

In the X Space event hosted by Monica Matthews, a rightwing personality, Mr Santos said: “I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor.

“I have done the math over and over and it doesn’t look really good,” he said, claiming that he would wear his expulsion “like a badge of honour”.

The latest blow of many to Mr Santos’s short yet tumultuous political career came in the form of a 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee released in early November which outlined “substantial evidence” that Mr Santos violated federal law.

READ MORE

From a resume of lies to an OnlyFans scandal: George Santos’s many, many controversies

01:15 , John Bowden

Facing a mountain of scandals and lies, George Santos was finally kicked out of Congress on 1 December.

Over 100 Republicans joined Democrats to vote overwhelmingly in favour of expelling the serial fabulist and accused fraudster from the House.

The move came in the wake of a damning report by the House Ethics Committee, which found that the embattled New York Republican engaged in “uncharged and unlawful conduct.”

Mr Santos has in fact been charged, too. In May, he was arrested and charged with 13 federal criminal counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds. A superseding indictment was later handed down in October, increasing the federal charges against Mr Santos to 23.

READ MORE

Botox, OnlyFans and a stay in the Hamptons: Key revelations from George Santos ethics report

00:30 , John Bowden

The long-awaited House Ethics Committee investigation into George Santos landed hard – becoming the final nail in the coffin of the New York representative’s scandalous time on Capitol Hill.

The lengthy report from the committee published in early November stated that there was credible evidence to indicate that the Republican misused campaign funds for a wide range of personal expenses, committed fraud, and misled the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

It was a damning end to a months-long investigation which had, until then, been Mr Santos’s golden ticket to survive the repeated efforts by his fellow lawmakers — including Republicans from his own state — to kick him out of Congress.

His days were numbered and, on 1 December, Mr Santos was expelled from Congress in a historic vote.

House lawmakers voted 311 to 114 for his removal, with 105 Republicans joining with Democrats for his expulsion.

READ MORE

105 Republicans vote to expel disgraced congressman George Santos from Congress

Friday 1 December 2023 23:45 , Eric Garcia

The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to expel now-former congressman George Santos of New York, with 105 of his Republicans joining every Democrat to remove the embattled member from office.

Mr Santos joined the ranks of five other members of Congress--all of them Democrats and three of whom were members of the Confederacy--to be expelled, which he said he considered a badge of honor.

Votes to expel members of Congress are extraordinarily rare and require a two-thirds majority of the House of Representatives. The vote came after Speaker Mike Johnson and most of House Republican leadership voted to keep him in the House of Representatives.

The vote bookends Mr Santos’s spectacularly bizarre jaunt as a candidate and elected official. After initially losing his race in a district in Long Island in 2020, Mr Santos and a handful of Republicans flipped seats that had voted for President Joe Biden in 2022 when Democrats in New York underperformed amid concerns about crime. Mr Santos seemed to represent a new type of Republican as a gay Latino man with Brazilian heritage.

READ MORE

George Santos bitterly reacts to House expulsion: ‘To hell with this place’

Friday 1 December 2023 23:00 , Gustaf Kilander, Eric Garcia

Rep George Santos reacted bitterly to his expulsion from the House of Representatives after saying before the vote that he would leave “graciously”.

“The House spoke, that’s their vote. They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” he said after the vote, according to CNN.

He was asked if he would remain and utilize his nonmember privileges since he’s not yet convicted of any crimes, he said: “Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place.”

“I had no skin in the game,” he added when asked if he knew he was about to be removed.

“You know what? As unofficially no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer your questions,” he told the press.

READ MORE

Who voted to expel George Santos?

Friday 1 December 2023 22:15 , Eric Garcia, Gustaf Kilander

Less than half of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to expel former congressman George Santos, but the ones who did so came mostly from endangered districts, swing states or were his fellow New Yorkers.

Mr Santos was one of 18 Republicans who in 2022 won in a district that had voted for President Joe Biden. All 17 of his fellow Biden-district Republicans--including his five fellow freshman Republicans in New York who won seats last year--voted to expel Mr Santos.

Other freshmen who flipped seats such as Reps Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon’s 5th district, Jen Kiggans of Virginia’s 2nd also voted to boot the 35-year-old. Many of them know that Mr Santos is a drag on their brand and needed to kick him out. For instance, Rep John Duarte of California’s 13th district, who also voted to expel, only won his district by 564 votes.

In addition, other Republicans such as Reps Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick, who are considered more moderate Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results, also voted to kick him out.

At the same time, House Republican leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise; fellow New Yorker and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer all voted to keep him in Congress.

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Klobuchar mocks Santos’s many lies following expulsion

Friday 1 December 2023 21:39 , Gustaf Kilander

Capitol staff change locks on George Santos office door after expulsion

Friday 1 December 2023 21:35 , Rhys Jones

Watch the moment Capitol staff change the locks on George Santos’ office door after his expulsion.

Santos was expelled after the House voted 311-114 in favour of the resolution.

Shortly after the vote, a security team could be seen changing the locks to the office that belonged to the now-former Representative.

Santos attempted to fight the expulsion effort by leading his own defense during the debate.

The vote initially came about after he was indicted on 23 federal charges relating to campaign finances and the misuse of funds.

Top Ethics Committee Democrat says Santos ‘brought this action on himself'

Friday 1 December 2023 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

GOP congressman claims he and his mother were defrauded by George Santos

Friday 1 December 2023 21:25 , Andrew Feinberg

An Ohio Republican who got into a contentious exchange with now-former New York congressman George Santos said he called himself a “victim” of the expelled Empire State representative because Mr Santos’s campaign ran up massive fake tabs on credit cards belonging to him and his mother.

In a letter distributed to fellow House members ahead of the historic vote to expel Mr Santos, Representative Max Miller said the ex-freshman representative’s 2022 campaign “had charged my personal credit card — and the personal card of my Mother — for contribution amounts that exceeded FEC limits”.

“Neither my Mother nor I approved these charges or were aware of them,” he continued, adding that he has expended “tens of thousands of dollars” in legal fees while trying to resolve the situation.

Mr Miller sent the letter explaining the allegations on Friday morning, not long before 311 House members voted to make Mr Santos the first member of the House to be expelled since 2002, when the lower chamber kicked out Ohio Representative James Traficant following his conviction on multiple felony charges.

“While I understand and respect the position of those who will vote against the expulsion resolution, my personal experience related to the allegations and findings of the Ethics Committee compels me to vote for the resolution,” Mr Miller said.

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‘Donald Trump has now lost one congressional endorsement'

Friday 1 December 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Journalist Ben Jacobs noted on Friday that “George Santos’s expulsion also means Donald Trump has now lost one congressional endorsement since Santos is no longer a member. He’ll lose another endorser when Bill Johnson eventually resigns to become President of Youngstown State”.

‘This is peak DC'

Friday 1 December 2023 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Who voted to expel George Santos?

Friday 1 December 2023 20:00 , Gustaf Kilander

One hundred five Republicans voted to expel Mr Santos, while 112 voted to keep him in office. Five Republicans didn’t vote.

Among the Democrats, 206 members voted to boot Mr Santos, and two voted to keep him in place, whole three didn’t vote.

The two Democrats who voted to keep Mr Santos in the House were Reps Bobby Scott of Virginia and Nikema Williams of Georgia – fellow Democrats Jonathan Jackson of Illinois and Al Green of Texas voted present.

In total, 311 members voted to remove Mr Santos, easily crossing the two-third threshold of 290 – 114 members voted against his removal, two voted present, and eight didn’t vote.

Read the full list of how each member voted

VIDEO: Capitol staff change locks on George Santos office door after expulsion

Friday 1 December 2023 19:41 , Billal Rahman

Flowers left outside Santos office

Friday 1 December 2023 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Democrat who voted against expulsion explains her decision

Friday 1 December 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Santos refuses to answer if he’s been asked to be on reality TV

Friday 1 December 2023 18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

On Thursday afternoon, Olivia Beavers of Politico asked Mr Santos if he had been asked to appear on a reality TV show.

“Olivia, I’m not going to answer that,” he said.

Garrett Haake of NBC News noted that it was “not a no”.

George Santos's former district is ripe picking for the Democrats

Friday 1 December 2023 18:00 , Eric Garcia

George Santos no longer represents New York’s 3rd district after 11 months as its congressman. Many of his constituents will likely be happy he is gone.

His expulsion will now trigger a new election. But as he hails from a district that normally goes blue, Democrats have an opportunity to pick up a seat and reduce the House GOP majority by one seat.

In 2020, Mr Santos tried running against incumbent Democratic Rep Tom Suozzi, who beat him by 13 points in a district that Joe Biden had won by about eight points.

When Mr Suozzi ran for governor in 2022, that left the seat open. Democrats in New York that year attempted to draw a congressional district map that was more favourable to the Democrats, which kept the 3rd district and every other district the same.

But incumbent Democratic Gov Kathy Hochul, who was running for a full term after she replaced disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo, severely underperformed in her race against then-congressman Lee Zeldin, winning by only 6.4 points in a state that Mr Biden won by 23.2 points in 2020.

Mr Zeldin won Nassau County, which includes Long Island and the 3rd district, by 10.5 points – flipping a county Mr Biden won in 2020.

Mr Santos won largely on the coattails of Mr Zeldin’s prowess and concerns about crime in New York City proper, given that Mr Santos’s district also includes parts of Queens.

Democrats will certainly be licking their chops in an attempt to flip the seat. Indeed, Mr Suozzi, who lost the primary against Ms Hochul, is running for his old seat, as are other candidates.

Democrats have overperformed in special elections ever since the Dobbs v Jackson decision last year that overturned Roe v Wade. But Republicans, now free of the stain of Mr Santos, will likely pour money into the seat and say that their next candidate will be more morally scrupulous than Mr Santos.

As of right now, the race can best be considered leaning toward the Democrats, but the GOP still has a shot.

House Majority PAC plans to spend big to take back Santos district

Friday 1 December 2023 17:50 , Gustaf Kilander

The House Democratic super PAC has revealed their plans to “a significant role in the NY-03 special election, and we will do whatever it takes to flip this district blue,” House Majority PAC President Mike Smith said, according to CNN.

Who voted to keep Santos in Congress? All of House GOP leadership, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene

Friday 1 December 2023 17:40 , Eric Garcia

Less than half of a majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to expel former congressman George Santos, but the ones who did so came mostly from endangered districts, swing states or were his fellow New Yorkers.

Mr Santos was one of 18 Republicans who in 2022 won in a district that had voted for President Joe Biden. All 17 of his fellow Biden-district Republicans--including his five fellow freshman Republicans in New York who won seats last year--voted to expel Mr Santos.

Other freshmen who flipped seats such as Reps Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon’s 5th district, Jen Kiggans of Virginia’s 2nd also voted to boot the 35-year-old. Many of them know that Mr Santos is a drag on their brand and needed to kick him out. For instance, Rep John Duarte of California’s 13th district, who also voted to expel, only won his district by 564 votes.

In addition, other Republicans such as Reps Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick, who are considered more moderate Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results, also voted to kick him out.

At the same time, House Republican leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise; fellow New Yorker and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer all voted to keep him in Congress.

Similarly, many archconservative Republicans such as Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, and Tim Burchett of Tennessee voted to keep him in office.

Several other Republicans from swing districts voted to keep him in office. Rep Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who only won her re-election in Colorado’s 3rd district by 546 votes last year, voted against expulsion.

Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who had called for his resignation, also voted against expulsion.

‘I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District'

Friday 1 December 2023 17:30 , Gustaf Kilander

New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X on Friday, “I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District”.

“The people of Long Island deserve nothing less,” she added.

The expulsion of scandal-ridden freshman Congressman George Santos has lit the fuse of a mad dash to replace him, with Democrats eager to reclaim the seat the infamous fabulist nabbed in the 2022 midterms.

Mr Santos was ousted on Friday after more than two-thirds of the House voted to remove him from the chamber. He was booted after a litany of scandals and criminal charges, with the unravelling of his political career beginning before he even took office in January of this year.

The last Republican to represent the area was Rep Rick Lazio, who left Congress after losing the New York Senate election in 2000 to then-First Lady and subsequent Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

What happens now?

George Santos has been expelled from the House. What happens now?

Moment George Santos expelled from US House in landslide vote

Friday 1 December 2023 17:19 , Oliver Browning

George Santos has been expelled from the US House of Representatives after more than a hundred Republicans joined almost all Democrats in voting to remove him from the chamber.

Mr Santos has been ousted from his role following a damning 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee which outlined “substantial evidence” that he violated federal law.

The report claims Mr Santos used campaign money on Botox, OnlyFans, designer fashion and personal purchases.

A two-thirds majority was needed to expel the New York representative – 311 members backed his ouster while 114 voted against it and two members voted present.

Mr Santos is due to stand trial on 23 federal charges in September 2024.

George Santos bitterly reacts to House expulsion: ‘To hell with this place’

Friday 1 December 2023 17:10 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep George Santos reacted bitterly to his expulsion from the House of Representatives after saying before the vote that he would leave “graciously”.

“The House spoke, that’s their vote. They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” he said after the vote, according to CNN.

He was asked if he would remain and utilize his nonmember privileges since he’s not yet convicted of any crimes, he said: “Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place.”

“I had no skin in the game,” he added when asked if he knew he was about to be removed.

“You know what? As unofficially no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer your questions,” he told the press.

He appeared on Fox & Friends on Friday morning ahead of the vote to expel him saying that he would leave the chamber “graciously” if pushed out.

“If it is God’s will to keep me here I will stay and if it is God’s will for me to leave I will do so graciously,” he said.

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VOICES: George Santos may be gone - but there will be more of his kind

Friday 1 December 2023 17:05 , Eric Garcia

George Santos got what he wanted.

I first realised this about the now-expelled New York Republican during the speaker’s race in October, when he started shouting at a pro-Palestinian activist who had questioned him earlier. I had caught him coming out of the meeting room in the Longworth House Office Building and asked him about Jim Jordan when he caught the activist and shouted “you are human scum.”

Immediately, all of the reporters moved from covering the GOP disarray and zeroed in on him, effectively turning it into a reality show. And that’s how he wanted it. He got all of the Washington press corps, the House Republican conference and even some Democrats to play along with his charade as he distracted from his legal troubles.

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105 Republicans vote to expel disgraced congressman George Santos from Congress

Friday 1 December 2023 16:44 , Eric Garcia

The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to expel now-former congressman George Santos of New York, with 105 of his Republicans joining every Democrat to remove the embattled member from office.

Mr Santos joined the ranks of five other members of Congress--all of them Democrats and three of whom were members of the Confederacy--to be expelled, which he said he considered a badge of honor.

Votes to expel members of Congress are extraordinarily rare and require a two-thirds majority of the House of Representatives.

The vote came after Speaker Mike Johnson and most of House Republican leadership voted to keep him in the House of Representatives.

Mr Santos arrived on the House floor initially seeming cheery or at least resigned to his fate. He laughed with archconservatives who would vote against his expulsion such as Rep Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Tim Burchett (R-TN). But shortly after the resolution crossed the necessary threshold to pass, Mr Santos put on his coat and exited the House floor before the final gavel was called.

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VIDEO: George Santos expelled from US House of Representatives in landslide vote

Friday 1 December 2023 16:29 , Benji Salmon

Progressive public policy advocacy group celebrates Santos ouster

Friday 1 December 2023 16:20 , Gustaf Kilander

MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting

‘They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves'

Friday 1 December 2023 16:14 , Gustaf Kilander

Leaving the floor in defeat, Mr Santos said, “They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” according to Jamie Dupree.

A two-thirds majority was needed to expel Mr Santos – 311 members backed his ouster while 114 voted against it and two members voted present. The entire GOP leadership opposed the removal.

George Santos has been expelled from the House. What happens now?

Friday 1 December 2023 16:14 , Gustaf Kilander

The expulsion of scandal-ridden freshman Congressman George Santos has lit the fuse of a mad dash to replace him, with Democrats eager to reclaim the seat the infamous fabulist nabbed in the 2022 midterms.

Mr Santos was ousted on Friday after more than two-thirds of the House voted to remove him from the chamber. He was booted after a litany of scandals and criminal charges, with the unravelling of his political career beginning before he even took office in January of this year.

The last Republican to represent the area was Rep Rick Lazio, who left Congress after losing the New York Senate election in 2000 to then-First Lady and subsequent Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

What happens now?

George Santos has been expelled from the House. What happens now?