Resolution from a Mississippi Congressman leads to the sixth expulsion in chamber's history

by

Will Stribling

• Published on December 4, 2023 • Last modified on December 5, 2023 • Comments

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., talks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. Santos has said he expected to be expelled from Congress following a scathing report by the House Ethics Committee chaired by Rep. Michael Guest, R-MS that found substantial evidence of lawbreaking by the New York Republican.
AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File

Former U.S. Representative George Santos of New York was expelled from Congress on Friday after a bipartisan vote by his peers - a move spearheaded by a member of Mississippi's congressional delegation.

Will Stribling

Resolution from a Mississippi Congressman leads to the sixth expulsion in chamber's history.

George Santos had survived two previous expulsion attempts, but a scathing House Ethics Committee report released in November turned the tide against him. Mississippi Congressman Michael Guest chairs that committee, issued the successful resolution to expel Santos, and was the only Republican in Mississippi's congressional delegation to vote in favor of his removal.

"It was an easy vote for me, but I have been involved in this case since the very beginning," Guest explained as he made himself available to the media following the vote. "If you look at the report, if you read those findings again, they find substantial evidence of multiple violations which in my case clearly supported expulsion."

Hear Rep. Guest's comments beginning at 9:26

After eight months of work, Ethics Committee investigators said they had found “overwhelming evidence” that Santos had broken the law and exploited his public position for personal gain. Santos was indicted by federal prosecutors in May on multiple charges, but since then, many members of Congress have argued that Santos should not be removed from office before being convicted. Guest respectfully disagrees.

"The constitution does not require a conviction. We followed the constitution. We again had a very thorough eight-month investigation. I think the report clearly sets out the fraud committed by Mr. Santos and his campaign."

Guest also thinks this is an extreme circumstance and won't set a precedent of members of congress who are accused of misconduct being expelled prematurely.

"I take no pride in what has happened today. It is a very solemn day when you have to remove a member from Congress." Guest adds, "and I wish Mr. Santos the best."

With Santos' ouster, Republicans now just have a three vote majority in the House.