House Democrats are attempting to force a vote on whether or not to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., brought a resolution to expel Santos to the House floor Tuesday, triggering a vote on the expulsion within the next two days, The Associated Press reported.
The move comes less than a week after Santos pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges, including embezzling money from his campaign.
In a statement Tuesday, Garcia said, “Republicans will now have a chance to demonstrate to the American people that an admitted liar and criminal should not serve in Congress.”
I'm starting the process of forcing a floor vote on our resolution to expel George Santos from the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans will now have a chance to demonstrate to the American people that an admitted liar and criminal should not serve in Congress. pic.twitter.com/GLmskqnier
— Congressman Robert Garcia (@RepRobertGarcia) May 16, 2023
What happens next?
Republicans have a few options on how to respond to the expulsion resolution: The least likely option is Republicans could allow the House to vote on the resolution, which would require a two-thirds majority to succeed.
On the other hand, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy could call for a vote to table the resolution, which requires a majority vote, or refer it to the House Ethics Committee, which McCarthy stated is his preferred route.
“I think we can look at this very quickly and come to a conclusion on what George Santos did and did not do through ethics, a safe bipartisan committee,” McCarthy said, per CNN. “I would like the Ethics Committee to move rapidly on this.”
Though a vote is unlikely to happen, the resolution “puts Republicans in the uncomfortable position of taking a stand on an indicted colleague,” AP reported.
So far, of all the House Republicans that have called for Santos resign, only one — Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas — said he should be expelled, according to Axios.