Calls are growing from both sides of the aisle for Republican Representative-Elect George Santos to be expelled from Congress—something that has not occurred in about two decades.
Santos, who won in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, admitted that he “embellished” his record leading up to last month’s midterm elections. On Monday, he said his claims about his work experience and education were wrong—that he never graduated from college, he never worked at Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, he doesn’t own 13 properties, and that he is Catholic, not Jewish.
Texas Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro of Texas tweeted that Santos should resign, and if he does not, then he should be expelled.
“Just about every aspect of his life appears to be a lie,” Castro wrote. “We’ve seen people fudge their resume but this is total fabrication.”
Another Democrat, California Representative Ted Lieu, wrote on social media that Santos admitted “whopping lies” and should not serve in Congress. Lieu called on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for a vote to expel Santos.
Video resurfaced on Twitter of McCarthy speaking November 19 and after the midterm elections, mentioning Santos’ name alongside the largest Jewish Republican caucus in 24 years.
Former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard grilled Santos on Fox News on Tuesday about his fake record and numerous lies. Gabbard’s interview was blasted by Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said Gabbard “gave Representative-elect George Santos zero grace” after he admitted his lies.
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“Even in his fake apology, he’s lying again,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre said in a statement. “George Santos is delusional if he thinks voters will trust him after he’s been exposed for lie after lie and continues to withhold key information.”
Newsweek reached out to the Republican National Committee for comment.
In the history of the U.S., 20 members of Congress have been expelled since 1797—15 from the Senate and five from the House. Of the 20, 17 were related to support of the Confederacy in 1861 and 1862.
The most recent expulsion occurred in 2002, when Ohio Representative James Traficant was removed from the House after being convicted of 10 felony counts, including taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering and forcing his congressional staff to perform chores at his farm in Ohio and houseboat in Washington, D.C.
Traficant eventually served a seven-year prison sentence.
The full list of expelled numbers:
- Senator William Blount, Tennessee
- Senator James Mason, Virginia
- Senator Robert Hunter, Virginia
- Senator Thomas Clingman, North Carolina
- Senator Thomas Bragg, North Carolina
- Senator James Chestnut, South Carolina
- Senator Alfred Nicholson, Tennessee
- Senator William Sebastian, Arkansas
- Senator Charles Mitchel, Arkansas
- Senator John Hemphill, Texas
- Senator Louis Wigfall, Texas
- Senator John Breckinridge, Kentucky
- Senator Trusten Polk, Missouri
- Senator Waldo Johnson, Missouri
- Senator Jesse Bright, Indiana
- Representative John Clark, Missouri
- Representative John Reid, Missouri
- Representative Henry Burnett, Kentucky
- Representative Michael Myers, Pennsylvania
- Representative James Traficant, Ohio
Disciplinary processes to put expulsion or censure into play begin with a resolution referred to an appropriate committee. In Santos’ case, that would hypothetically be in the hands of the House Ethics Committee and could include complaints from other members, or a call for an investigation into Santos.
The last member of Congress to be censured was Arizona Representative Paul Gosar in 2021 after he posted a video on social media of an anime character attacking fellow Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Joe Biden.
Santos’ fabricated record could also be legally problematic due to financial disclosures during his campaign. Former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade told MSNBC on Tuesday that lying, not just to voters but also to donors, could land him in hot water on potential wire fraud charges.
