Rep. George Santos expelled from House in historic vote

The House voted Friday to oust Rep. George Santos as he faces a host of criminal charges, including allegations of wire fraud and money laundering.

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105 Republicans, 206 Democrats voted to oust Santos

Update 12:35 p.m. EST Dec. 1: Santos was expelled from the House in a 311-114 vote on Friday that saw 105 Republicans join 206 Democrats to oust the embattled New York Republican.

Two lawmakers voted present on Friday while eight others did not vote, according to a roll call published by the House.

New York governor says she’s prepared to fill Santos vacancy

Update 12:05 p.m. EST Dec. 1: In a statement on social media, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is ready to fill the vacancy left in the House by the ouster Friday of Santos.

“I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District,” she wrote. “The people of Long Island deserve nothing less.”

Under New York law, Hochul is required to make a proclamation of a special election within 10 days of a vacancy, with an election following between 70 and 80 days later, CNN reported.

Rep. Adam Schiff: Expelling Santos ‘was justified’

Update 11:50 a.m. EST Dec. 1: Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said the House was “justified” in expelling Santos on Friday.

Schiff was among the 311 members of the House to vote for Santos’ ouster.

In a statement on social media, Schiff acknowledged that “expelling an elected representative is a serious matter.”

He noted, “George Santos misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign money, stole donor identities to fund his extravagant lifestyle, and has been indicted for fraud and financial crimes.”

Photos show the House during historic expulsion vote

Update 11:40 a.m. EST Dec. 1: Photos show scenes from the U.S. Capitol on Friday as the House voted to expel Santos.

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House Of Representatives Votes On Explusion Of Rep. George Santos WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 01: Rep. George Santos (R-NY) and members of his staff walk through the tunnel connecting the Capitol Hill office buildings with the U.S. Capitol ahead of a vote to expel him from the House of Representatives on December 01, 2023 in Washington, DC. Charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with 23 felonies in New York including fraud and campaign finance violations, Santos, 35, is facing expulsion from the House of Representatives after the Ethics Committee reported that it found “substantial evidence” that he had violated the law. If expelled, Santos would be just the sixth person in U.S. history to be expelled from the House of Representatives. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

House will notify NY governor of vacancy

Update 11:10 a.m. EST Dec. 1: House Speaker Mike Johnson said the clerk of the House will notify New York Gov. Kathy Hochul about Santos’ expulsion following the historic 311-114 vote on Friday.

His ouster leaves the House with 221 Republicans and 213 Democrats, plus one vacancy.

Santos leaves House during vote for ouster

Update 11:05 a.m. EST Dec. 1: Santos walked out of the House chambers before the final vote to oust him was called on Friday morning. He told reporters, “They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” according to reporter Jamie Dupree.

Santos expelled in 311-114 vote

Update 11:02 a.m. EST Dec. 1: The 311-114 vote made Santos the sixth member of the House to be expelled in history and the first to be ousted without a criminal conviction since the Civil War.

Original report: Two-thirds of the House is expected to vote in favor of the resolution from Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, CNN reported. Earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republican Party leaders decided “to allow people to vote their conscience” regarding Santos’ possible expulsion.

The anticipated vote comes two weeks after the House Ethics Committee released a blistering report accusing Santos of having “blatantly stole from his campaign” and “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”

According to the report, Santos illegally used campaign funds to pay for a holiday in the Hamptons, a honeymoon in Las Vegas and to make purchases at OnlyFans, Sephora, Hermes and Ferragamo. The committee said it was referring “substantial evidence of potential violations of federal criminal law” to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.

Earlier this year, federal prosecutors charged Santos with nearly two dozen crimes, accusing him of stealing the identities of his family members and using credit cards from people who donated to his congressional run without authorization.

The New York Republican has broadly denied the allegations and accused lawmakers of bullying him.

“The reality of it is, it’s all theater,” Santos told reporters Thursday. “It’s theater for the cameras, its theater for the microphones, it’s theater for the American people, at the expense of the American people — because no real work is getting done.”

Santos has resisted calls for his resignation since admitting that he had lied about parts of his biography during his congressional run. On Wednesday, Santos emphasized on the House floor that he had no plans to resign.

He warned Thursday about the precedent expelling him from the House might set, saying it will be “the undoing of a lot of members of this body because this will haunt them in the future, where mere allegations are sufficient to have members removed from office when duly elected by the people in their respective states and districts.”

“If I am to get expelled tomorrow, I will be No. 6 in history, the first Republican and the only one without a conviction or without … having committed treason,” he added.

Three congressmen were ousted from the House after the start of the Civil War in 1861 for fighting for the Confederacy. In 1980, the House evicted Rep. Michael Myers, D-Pa., following his a bribery conviction. Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, was expelled from the House in 2002 after he was convicted of charges including racketeering and defrauding the U.S.