George Santos expelled from U.S. Congress in wake of criminal charges, ethics disgrace

George Santos, who has been embroiled in criminal and ethical investigations over his conduct, has been expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives after his peers voted to kick him out Friday, becoming only the sixth member forced from the chamber in its history.

The final vote to immediately remove Santos was 311-114. The bill to push Santos out needed support from two-thirds of the House, or 290 votes, in order to pass.

Santos, 35, walked out of the chamber and into a vehicle outside without answering questions after the vote. He had fought defiantly against his removal, speaking out against his colleagues in the House on Thursday.

"I will not stand by quietly. The people of Third District of New York sent me here. If they want me out, they're going to have to go silence those people and take the hard vote," Santos said, according to Reuters.

The ousting ends a surreal term for Santos, who captured national and international attention with a complicated web of lies, deception and alleged crimes that saw him fall from his party's good graces after less than a year in office.

Some of those lies included making up many of the details in his biography, including his college education and purported work experience on Wall Street, as well as claiming his grandparents escaped the Holocaust and that his mother was in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

WATCH | U.S. politicians react after Santos expelled from Congress: 

U.S. politicians react after George Santos expelled from Congress

12 months ago

Duration 1:07

Republican George Santos was voted out of the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday over criminal corruption charges and accusations of misspending campaign money. Afterward, one congressman said he believed Santos was 'unfit to serve in public office, whether as dog catcher in his local community or here in the halls of Congress.'

The removal took effect as soon as Speaker Mike Johnson hit the gavel after the vote. Santos no longer holds the titles of "representative" or "congressman" and a House clerk seized his congressional office in the Capitol, though his constituency office in New York remained open.

The former lawmaker was sworn into office in January after being elected for his first term in November 2022.

Santos is currently facing a litany of criminal charges relating to allegations of fraud and campaign-finance crimes. In a 23-count indictment, federal prosecutors accused the ex-politician of charging donors' credit cards tens of thousands of dollars without permission and using campaign funds to cover his personal expenses when he was running for his freshman term.

WATCH | Rep. George Santos leaves Congress after expulsion vote: 

George Santos leaves after U.S. House expulsion vote

12 months ago

Duration 0:47

George Santos, just the sixth member in the history of the House of Representatives to be expelled, didn't answer questions as he passed through a throng of reporters.

Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, is set to go to trial for those charges next September.

He survived a previous attempt to remove him in early November, when 182 Republicans and 31 Democrats voted to keep him in the House on the grounds that his criminal case should be settled first.

That support faded after a bipartisan congressional investigation last month found Santos charged nearly $5,400 Cdn for spa treatments, including Botox, to his congressional campaign account. It found he also spent more than $5,400 of campaign money at the luxury retail store Hermes and made "smaller purchases" from OnlyFans.

With the vote Friday, Santos became the first member of the House to be expelled without being convicted of a crime or committing treason. He is also the first to be ousted in more than 20 years.

Democrat James Traficant was the last member to be removed in 2002, after he was criminally convicted of taking bribes, filing false tax returns and taking kickbacks.