New York Representative George Santos (R) became the sixth House lawmaker in US history to be expelled by colleagues from Capitol Hill on Friday (December 1).
Lawmakers took three attempts over six months to unseat Santos and required support from large numbers in both parties to meet the two-thirds requirement to do so.
The Hill reported that the final tally was 311-114-2, with 105 Republicans voting in favor of the motion to expel the scandal-plagued lawmaker alongside almost all Democrats after just 11 months in office.
Only Bobby Scott (VA) and Nikema Williams (GA) were the only Democrats voting against Santos's expulsion, while Al Green (D-TX) and Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) voted present.
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) leaves the U.S. Capitol after his fellow members of Congress voted 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, was expelled from the House of Representatives by a vote of 311-114. Santos is only the sixth person in U.S. history to be expelled from the House of Representatives.
Hated Even by the GOP
Once seen as a trailblazer in the Republican Party, Santos eventually became too toxic even for his GOP colleagues due to his countless criminal charges.
However, Santos's ouster only diminished the Republican majority of the house as debates on hot-button topics - like preventing another government shutdown and funding for Israel and Ukraine, among others - would need to be sorted next.
This also created a rift within the GOP, as the 112 Republicans who voted against Santos's expulsion voiced concern that the removal of an elected lawmaker from office without a criminal conviction would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to unwarranted and politically motivated expulsions in the future.
Santos was the first to be removed from office since the American Civil War.
Read Also: New York Rep. George Santos Pleads Not Guilty to New Criminal Wire Fraud, Identity Theft Charges
Santos Accepts His Fate
For Santos's part, he has since accepted his fate leading up to the vote.
"I'm done losing sleep. I'm done stressing," he told reporters on Thursday (November 30). "I have just made peace with God in the... best way possible and said whatever comes my way, I will accept it and I will move on with my life."
Lawmakers are now scrambling to replace Santos's seat in the House, with the Republicans hoping to maintain their lead, while the Democrats intend to narrow the GOP majority leading up to the general election come 2024.
Related Article: New York Rep. George Santos Expects His Legal Challenges Would Force Him Out of Congress
