Lawmakers can 'vote their conscience' on expelling Santos, House speaker says, but he has concerns
CTV
Speaker Mike Johnson expressed reservations Wednesday about expelling Rep. George Santos from the House this week, but said he and other GOP leaders will not push colleagues to oppose removing the New York Republican from office. "We're going to allow people to vote their conscience," Johnson said.
Speaker Mike Johnson expressed reservations Wednesday about expelling Rep. George Santos from the House this week, but said he and other GOP leaders will not push colleagues to oppose removing the New York Republican from office. "We're going to allow people to vote their conscience," Johnson said.
Santos has survived two previous expulsion efforts in his first year in Congress and has said he will not seek reelection, but the hands-off approach this time could tip the scales against him. Support for ousting Santos has grown after a monthslong investigation by the House Ethics Committee found that Santos "sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit."
Johnson, R-La., said he has heard Republican lawmakers make forceful arguments on both sides. Some have argued that Santos should have his day in court before an expulsion vote occurs; that has been the precedent in the House so far. Others believe that some of the things Santos did are "infractions against the House itself" and deserving of expulsion.
"And so what we've said as the leadership team is we're going to allow people to vote their conscience I think is the only appropriate thing we can do," Johnson said. "We've not whipped the vote and we wouldn't. I trust that people will make that decision thoughtfully and in good faith. I personally have real reservations about doing this. I'm concerned about a precedent that may be set."
Lawmakers returned from their Thanksgiving break this week with competing expulsion resolutions brought to the floor -- one from Democrats, the other from Republicans. The resolutions require leadership to bring them up for consideration within two days, though it is expected that Democrats would not seek a second vote if Johnson brings the Republican expulsion resolution to the floor first.
A vote on expulsion could occur as early as Thursday, though Johnson suggested it would slip to Friday.
In the history of the House, only five members have been expelled, which is the most serious form of punishment the House can exact on its members. Only two have been removed by their colleagues since the Civil War.
