WASHINGTON (CN) — Just hours after New York Congressman George Santos was indicted on a fresh set of criminal charges related to his use of campaign funds, members of his own caucus say they will formally call for his expulsion.
Santos has been mired in controversy since he was elected in 2022 as a Republican to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District — fighting accusations that he lied about his background and experience to secure a seat in Congress. Things took a more drastic turn Tuesday, however, as the lawmaker was indicted on a laundry list of federal charges, including wire fraud and money laundering.
This latest string of allegations has spurred some congressional Republicans into action. New York Congressman Anthony D’Esposito, who represents the Empire State’s 4th District and has been a longtime critic of Santos, said Wednesday that he plans to introduce a resolution to expel the lawmaker, calling him a “fraudster.”
It’s not the first time D’Esposito has called for Santos to be removed from office. The New York Republican made similar overtures in January, but Santos refused to resign and the attempt fizzled without much support from GOP leadership.
In a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, D’Esposito said his effort to oust Santos would be cosigned by a cadre of New York Republicans — the same group that had tried to remove the embattled lawmaker earlier this year, including Congressman Mike Molinaro, Congressman Nick Langworthy and Congressman Mike Lawler.
“What he is known to be guilty of, beyond any doubt, is that he lied about his entire background,” D’Esposito said of Santos during a press gaggle Wednesday. “That, and how he defrauded Long Island voters, should disqualify him from holding this office.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the text of D’Esposito’s resolution had yet to be made public. The move comes as the House Republican caucus meets behind closed doors to select a candidate for House speaker, a position left vacant after GOP lawmakers voted last week to remove then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Any move to expel a member of Congress would require a two-thirds majority in the House, which Republicans control by a slim margin.
Santos, meanwhile, was indicted Tuesday on 23 counts, including falsely reporting campaign contributions in order to qualify for a program run by the Federal Election Commission. Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York also said that the lawmaker had illegally used donors’ credit card information to make new contributions to his campaign, and that Santos had used campaign funds to buy designer clothing and make credit card payments.
Santos is set to be arraigned Oct. 27 in federal court.
Santos has so far denied the charges, telling reporters Wednesday that he does not plan to resign and will run for reelection in 2024. The congressman also said he will not seek a plea deal with prosecutors.
Follow @BenjaminSWeiss
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