Staff Reports
House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest has taken a hard stance against embattled Rep. George Santos, introducing a resolution to boot him from Congress. And it’s not the first rodeo for Mr. Santos, who has faced a string of indictments and a scorching report from the House Ethics Committee detailing his alleged misuse of campaign funds and other fraudulent activities. This has led Mr. Guest, a Mississippi Republican, to declare that there’s more than enough evidence to justify giving Mr. Santos the ol’ heave-ho.
House Ethics chairman introduces resolution to expel George Santos following searing report https://t.co/CERUABDmHZ
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) November 17, 2023
But getting rid of a lawmaker is no cakewalk; it takes a two-thirds majority in the House. And in a surprising turn of events, a recent attempt to show Mr. Santos the door fell flat when some wishy-washy Republicans teamed up with the Democrats to save him. Why? Well, because they argued that he hadn’t been convicted of any crimes, and GOP bigwigs didn’t want to shrink their already slim four-vote lead in the House.
However, the Ethics Committee’s damning report has stirred the pot, causing some lawmakers to change their tune. Seven Republicans, including Mr. Guest, have switched from opposing to backing the booting of Mr. Santos. This is a big deal, especially since only five members in the entire history of Congress have been forcefully shown the exit. And guess what? Two of them were convicted of crimes, and the other three were downright traitors to the good ol’ U.S. of A.
Mr. Santos is no stranger to hot water, facing federal charges of fraud and misusing political donations. The Ethics Committee’s report even suggests that there’s more shadiness afoot beyond what’s in the federal indictment and urges the Justice Department to take a closer look at Mr. Santos’s conduct.
And what did the committee find, you ask? Well, they uncovered some eyebrow-raising shenanigans, including Mr. Santos splurging on luxury items with campaign cash and even delving into the world of OnlyFans. Seems like Mr. Santos wasn’t satisfied with just dipping his toes in the pool of campaign finance violations; he also allegedly played fast and loose with FEC reports, used campaign funds for personal gain, and engaged in some fishy business with an LLC known as RedStone Strategies. Not to mention, he apparently didn’t take those pesky Ethics in Government Act violations too seriously.
The release of this report prompted Mr. Santos to throw in the towel on seeking reelection. But don’t think he’s taking it lying down; he’s hollering about a lack of due process and casting shade on the “biased” ethics committee. He even went as far as to say they tainted the jury pool in his DOJ investigation. It’s like a real-life drama unfolding right in front of our eyes. And with Mr. Santos’s political career hanging in the balance, it’s anything but boring.
