Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., (L) talks to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., before President Joe Biden's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI |
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Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A group of House Democratic lawmakers on Thursday proposed a resolution to the House Ethics Committee to expel Rep. George Santos, the freshman Republican lawmaker who lied about his background and campaign finances.
The resolution has been referred to the House Ethics Committee for review but unlikely will reach a vote in the lower chamber, which is controlled by Republican lawmakers who have defended Santos' right to keep his seat in Congress despite having been caught lying about his credentials.
"Enough is enough. We just filed an official resolution to expel George Santos from Congress," Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said in a statement on Twitter.
"It's time for Republicans to get on board and join us in removing this fraud from the House," he said.
Rep. Dan Goldman called Santos' presence in Congress a "stain on the institution" in a statement on Twitter.
Santos was elected to the lower chamber during the November midterms as he picked up a seat vacated by Democrat Tom Suozzi on Long Island.
However, Santos told voters during his campaign that he graduated from Baruch College and worked with Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, statements which have been proven false following investigations by The New York Times after a local paper sounded the alarm four months earlier.
"You know why I'm standing by him? Because his constituents voted for him," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters late last month.
"I do not have the power, simply because I disagree with somebody on what they have said, that I will remove them from elected office," McCarthy said.
The resolution asks that Santos be expelled under Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution that allows for a lawmaker to be expelled for "disorderly behavior" with a vote by two-thirds of Congress.
If the resolution were to reach a vote on the House floor, at least 290 lawmakers would need to vote to adopt the measure -- meaning nearly 80 Republicans would have to join Democrats in voting for the measure.
Republicans hold a slim majority in the lower chamber and are unlikely to support removing Santos from Congress.
