Freshman George Santos was expelled from Congress. The vote was against the wishes of Speaker Mike Johnson. 
In a 311-114 vote, Republican George Santos was expelled from Congress on charges that he was stealing from donors.
It takes a 2/3 supermajority to expel someone, so Santos is out. This shrinks the Republican majority by one. Its down to 221-213. This means that on any vote, Johnson can only afford 3 Republican dissents, down from four.
The Wall Street Journal has the background details of the charges.
The House voted Friday to expel embattled Rep. George Santos over allegations the New York Republican stole money from his own campaign and committed other misdeeds, in only the third expulsion from the chamber since the Civil War.
The vote on Santos marks the culmination of a saga that started shortly after he was elected to office in 2022, when a New York Times report detailed that he had lied about his work history, educational achievements and family background, prompting deeper scrutiny of his campaign funds and financial dealings
New York federal prosecutors subsequently charged Santos with an array of crimes, including for allegedly scamming political donors, lying to the Federal Election Commission and illegally receiving unemployment-insurance benefits. He pleaded not guilty to a 23-count superseding indictment. He is scheduled to go on trial in September.
The vote was prompted by the release of a report from the House Ethics Committee that found there was substantial evidence that Santos stole money from donors and filed false disclosures with election officials
In May, Santos reached a deal with Brazilian authorities to settle criminal charges that he committed fraud—including by using stolen blank checks to buy goods at a clothing store—when he was 19 years old and living in Rio de Janeiro.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.), argued Santos was facing a different standard than other scandal-plagued lawmakers.
Heading into Friday, only two House lawmakers since the Civil War have been expelled and just five overall.
While Democrats and many Republicans supported the move to remove Santos, more than half of GOP lawmakers—including Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.)— said he shouldn’t be expelled before his criminal case had been resolved.
We can debate whether Santos should have been expelled. I say yes, but I do not get a vote.
The important point is Johnson has little if any control over the House when he has now has only three votes to spare on any issue.
The Correct View
No Surprise, House Speaker Johnson Proposes Same Plan as McCarthy
On November 11, I commented No Surprise, House Speaker Johnson Proposes Same Plan as McCarthy
And on November 18, I commented House Speaker Mike Johnson’s Grace Period is Over, What’s Next?
“We’re on the job now. We’re going to make it happen,” said Johnson this week.
Really? Make what happen?
Rep Chip Roy is correct in his assertion “explain to me one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done.”
And for the first time ever, I agree with Progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.) who said, “It’s the same menu, different waiter.”
It is delusional to expect major changes when the Republican Speaker has lost control of the House, and Democrats control the Senate and White House.
I’m glad he was expelled. But the notions that Santos’ removal was a truly significant act of civic hygiene and provides evidence that “the system works” are laughable.
Getting rid of Santos was a big mistake. Now, the R’s have only a 3 vote margin. Why didn’t they just leave the Scumbag in there??? If he was a Dem they would’ve left him in there. Now Kathy fucking Hochel gets to appoint another worse scumbag to take his place.
Also, why not wait till the trial at least. Innocent till proven guilty, right? WTF happened to that precept, eh?
Too many goddamn idiots in the Republican Party. A ‘Congress’ of idiots- pun intended.
Who backed and bankrolled this serial Santos fraud and criminal? He didn’t make it into Congress on his own. Was this another RINO-controlled-opposition-neocon, or a one-off situation? How was this the best qualified candidate for the (R)s in his district? Somebody owes the nation an apology for this abomination.
Only the 6th time because the vast majority of people confronted with this level and volume of crimes and misconduct have had the decency to resign.
Let me just say this, Santos may be an asshole, but please truthfully, understand Satan is a Democrat!
My candidate for hoot of the year. “Gang of world class criminals and thieves votes to expel one of their own. Apparently they saw him as a penny-ante thief. No account loser!
Remember, if you steal from the working class, it’s A-OK. If you steal from the donor class, your *** is toast. Rules are rules.
Where were the so-called investigative journalists and ‘oppo researchers’ from the media center of the universe (New York City) during the campaign?
He provided a valuable service by proving he could fool all of the imbeciles in the media some of the time by checking the right boxes in the intersectional hierarchy game.
Exactly. I posted a similar comment; major failing across the board in not vetting this scum.
The political calculus is Republicans can tell voters, “We cleaned or house when it got dirty. Democrats had many chances to clean their house, but refused.”
Good point. Regime media will work hard to bury this now and focus and distort the fringe topics they elevate into wedge issues that drive leftist turnout like abortion, endless foreign entanglements, “climate change”, etc.
He should be able to have this issue resolved before this happened, but that’s Politics.
If he is guilty however, then he should be charged and removed. On the other hand, because they jumped the gun, he should also be re-instated if found innocent.
JS…
Its a small start to claning the garbage out of the swamp
When do they vote all the other crooks out? 🙂
Mish, it is naive (not you, generally speaking) to think that ANY change for OUR good will EVER take place in the Senate, House or Congress in General AND I INCLUDE the White House and those that serve THOSE interests.
Sure, we VOTE, but our importance to them DIMINISHES TO ZERO the moment they get “in.” BEING “IN” has an important piece of “INsider” – – a word that of course describes why ANYONE would want to be a Politician in the first place.
Being in Politics describes why I eventually HATED being in a POWER STRUCTURE within a Corporation. I was PART of the “team” but I was quite often not IN on the politics that affected my personal results and my BONUSES.
SO, I quit that shit and broke out on my own and the only people I “reported to” were my Clients and, on the whole, the CLIENTS were never a problem because I did NOT lie about our Deliverables and that all any Client should expect (beyond the specifications of the products themselves – I was in High Tech).
IT WAS THE POLITICS that KILLED my desire to be part of a TEAM. The Weakest PEOPLE in any Team were the MOST POLITICAL and were back-stabbing Pricks and Princesses whose only work included making others look bad in any way they could cook up.
And, the sad truth is that VOTERS are in effect like my Team Mates: NAIVE IDIOTS who are guilty of the madness that tells them that doing the same thing over and over again (VOTING for POLITICIANS based upon PROMISES) with the same terrible results, is what suits them.
IT IS MADNESS to expect Politicians to do something outside of their INSIDER DESIRES (LIE, CHEAT, STEAL and ENRICH themselves ON OUR DIME or on BORROWED DIMES).
I am DONE with it and do not have any hope for real change for the good. I am outta here!
D. Heartland: Now 76, I regret ever having voted or working a taxed job. The vast majority of the civilized, here and Globally, are complete fools and completely unprepared for the Catastrophe about to befall Earth. Those presently subjugated will suffer much worse than they already do; think Darfur (Sudan), et al. The remaining truly indigenous scattered about Earth might continue as they are. Prepare as inclined. 🔦✝️
Yes, Mental prep first, and then QUICKLY followed by ACTUAL PREP.
What’s next? Expel members for servitude to big donors, ignoring his/her voters?
This guy was a small time grifter.
He was valuable optics for the Swamp…returning to business-as-usual in 3..2..1..
He should have been expelled immediately for lying about his education. It’s not required for Congress but he lied to voters. I would even go further and charge him with election fraud and put him in a Federal prison. If I did that for employment I’d be fired. I actually saw this happen in the military. An officer lied about his degree. They kicked him out. He should have been in a military prison IMO for fraud. It is a crime against citizens.
Good point. How many crimes does a Congressman actually have to commit before charges get filed?
I haven’t read any stories that explain if Santos will be able to collect any benefits after being expelled. Does he still get retirement benefits, health plan, anything else that Congress people who retire get?
No matter how much of a D Bag Santos is he was still duly elected by his district. IMO it’s up to those voters to decide if he should stay or go. We have a grifter for a President and he’s not going anywhere. Bob Menendez? What about Epstein’s visitors to Lolita island? Are they not bigger D-Bags than Santos?
So your saying he should get to stay in power for his full term until the voters can elect someone else? That seems a bit stupid.
More importantly if voters knew about this fraud before the election do you think they would still have voted for him?
He lied to his district about his credentials. No waiting. Kick them out as soon as it’s discovered. Many more need to go for this stuff. Don’t even get me started on birth certificates. Obama’s was never audited by an independent expert. Only his own hand picked one and it took him over a year to find the certificate. NO. It should not take that long. Even his own family in Kenya says he’s lying.
Obama had help by the Crown family in the early days in Illinois: One Nation Under Blackmail – Whitney Webb.
Dick Durbin is running interference on the Epstein list. That clown should be a greeter at a Farm & Fleet in Peoria, Illinois – or a car valet at a stripclub in Sauget, Illinois.
Blumenthal lied about his Vietnam service and is still in Congress decades later; good to see some accountability, but many more need to be purged.
I am dying here, a whorehouse get someone out. Everyone of those guys take zionist bribes…along with any other bribe they can get.
Kicked…
Part of the long tradition of congressional nutcases. LOL
“In a 311-114 vote, Republican George Santos was expelled from Congress on charges that he was stealing from donors.”
This appears to me to be a whole lot of pots calling the kettle black.
The only time they turn on another grifter is when the grift itself is at stake.
The “District of Corruption” is properly referred to as a Swamp, inhabited by slimy grifters sucking off the governments breast.
Jo Biden is the epitome of a poster boy for decades.
TERM LIMITS badly needed, but congress voting against itself is a non starter.
I am also a fan/believer in term limits, but everyone needs to remember that any such limits would require a consititutional amendment — of which the statistical likelihood is zero. Congress does not have the power or authority to impose limits on itself.
Term limits will do nothing but give more power to the permanent government of congressional staff and executive agencies.
don’t worry; cannot be done by Congress. The consitution sets the sole requirements for congress and those cannot be changed with an amendment.