House Republicans in New York have introduced a resolution to expel State Rep. George Santos after new charges were announced against the congressman.
On Wednesday, fellow State Reps. Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota announced to reporters in the House that they have the support to remove Santos.
I said he should resign and he should still resign. https://t.co/GmxD4FP5T8
— Rep. Marc Molinaro (@RepMolinaroNY19) October 10, 2023
“He has no business being in the halls of the House of Representatives,” LaLota said. “He is an immoral person. He’s an untrustworthy person. He scammed hundreds of thousands of voters. This is the most provable case of election fraud we have before us. He should be out of Congress right away.”
Santos is the subject of fresh allegations of credit card fraud. Prosecutors have accused him of charging a donor’s credit card multiple times without permission.
The New York Republican denied the new allegations against him. When asked if the House ought to hold off until Santos has had his day in court, LaLota said that representatives are held to a higher standard.
“What he is known to be guilty of beyond any doubt — is that he lied about his entire background,” he said. “That to me and how he defrauded voters, defrauded Long Island voters, should disqualify him from holding this office.”
Santos is also facing scrutiny from lawmakers after reports revealed he had fabricated much of his background during his 2022 campaign, in which he defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman.
He has since recused himself from multiple committee assignments. Santos currently serves on the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee, which have been controversial appointments following accusations that he fabricated his background during his campaign.
This comes as House Republicans are meeting privately to decide on a new candidate to fill the position of speaker that Kevin McCarthy vacated last week. Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the two presumed front-runners, have not vowed to call for a vote to remove Santos from office.
“I predict this resolution is going to catch fire,” LaLota continued. “Many people feel how we do. He is a stain on this institution. People on both sides will support his removal from these halls.”
