*** Update – Santos got the boot. \O/
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would vote against the expulsion, an aide said.
Santos, 35, has been mired in controversy since his 2022 election. He has admitted fabricating much of his biography, and federal prosecutors accuse him of laundering campaign funds and defrauding donors. Santos has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
He survived a previous expulsion attempt in early November, when 182 of his fellow Republicans and 31 Democrats voted against his removal on the grounds that his criminal case should be resolved first. Without his seat, Republicans’ already slim 222-213 majority would narrow further. His district, which includes parts of New York City and Long Island, is seen as competitive.
Santos could fare worse in Friday’s vote. A bipartisan congressional investigation last month found that he charged almost $4,000 for spa treatments, including Botox, to his congressional campaign account. He also spent more than $4,000 of campaign money at the luxury retail store Hermes and made “smaller purchases” from OnlyFans, an online platform known for sexual content.
I don’t know his district, but from what I remember having read when he won the seat, it’s a pretty purple-to-blue area. Santos will have given the gop a black eye for those voters, and I’d be surprised if the swing voters didn’t go back to the Dems for at least the next round.
Given how long this has taken to come about, I hope that they have someone lined up and ready to go. Getting him out now not only reduces the gop majority but also sets up a race that is probably going to heavily favor the Dems. It’s theirs to lose, although they’ve certainly fumbled on that one before.