The vote is a dramatic bookend for Santos’ 10-month tenure in Washington, following revelations by the media and a House Ethics Committee report that said Santos fabricated much of his biography, defrauded donors and spent campaign money to bankroll a lavish lifestyle, including purchasing Botox injections, OnlyFans subscriptions and personal travel.
Two earlier attempts to expel Santos failed after most Republicans and some Democrats expressed opposition to expelling a member who had not been convicted of a crime. But the scathing 56-page House Ethics Committee report, which found “overwhelming evidence of his misconduct,” shifted votes away from the New York lawmaker.
Friday’s vote was 311-114, with 105 Republicans joining nearly every Democrat in voting to expel Santos.
The California delegation, which was deeply divided on previous attempts to oust the New Yorker, swung hard against him. Six California Republicans and seven Democrats, including Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine, a Senate candidate, shifted from opposing Santos’ expulsion or voting present just a few weeks ago to supporting his removal Friday.
Republican Reps. David Valadao of Hanford, Michelle Steel of Seal Beach, Young Kim of Anaheim Hills, John Duarte of Modesto and Ken Calvert of Corona, who all face competitive reelection contests next year, were among those who shifted from opposing Santos’ expulsion in November to supporting it Friday.
Two Democrats — Robert Scott of Virginia and Nikema Williams of Georgia — voted against expulsion Friday, as did 112 Republicans, including California Reps. Darrell Issa of Bonsall, Tom McClintock of Elk Grove and Doug LaMalfa of Richvale. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield did not vote. Two Democrats — Al Green of Texas and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois — voted present.
Santos has denied wrongdoing, attributing his removal to petty beefs from his colleagues. He said he was not given due process since he has not been convicted of the charges against him.
House GOP leaders declined to urge their colleagues to vote for or against Santos’ removal. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) allowed Republicans to “vote their conscience,” but said he was concerned about setting a modern-day precedent by expelling a member who has not been convicted of a federal crime. Johnson voted against expelling Santos alongside other leaders, including Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York.
Expulsions, which require a two-thirds majority to succeed, are rare. During the Civil War, three House members were removed for supporting the Confederacy. Two others were expelled after being convicted on corruption charges: Democratic Reps. Michael J. “Ozzie” Myers of Pennsylvania in 1980 and James A. Traficant Jr. of Ohio in 2002.
Santos’ removal reduces Republicans’ hold over the chamber, leaving the party with just a seven-vote majority. A special election to fill Santos’ seat is expected next year.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) in February led the first effort to oust Santos after details of Santos’ fabrications came to light. The measure, which eventually prompted a formal probe by the House Ethics Committee, failed to gain enough support from the GOP to reach the needed two-thirds majority.
The second effort to remove Santos came last month from Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), whose resolution attracted 213 votes, still short of a two-thirds majority. The 31 Democrats who voted against Santos’ removal in November included California’s Porter, Mark Takano of Riverside and Zoe Lofgren of San Jose. Democratic Reps. Mark DeSaulnier of Concord, Ami Bera of Elk Grove, Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles and Brad Sherman of Northridge voted present. Two California Republicans — Mike Garcia and Kevin Kiley — were among the 24 Republicans who supported the earlier attempt to oust Santos.
Lofgren said she found Santos’ “behavior to be disgraceful,” but voted to keep him in the chamber during the second vote because the ethics probe had not yet concluded.
Democrats have chided the GOP for slow-walking accountability for Santos. Robert Garcia, in an Wednesday interview with The Times, touted his maneuver earlier this week to force House Republicans to move quickly on Santos this week. Garcia and much of the chamber had pushed Santos to avoid an embarrassing floor vote and resign, but Santos refused.
“He could do the country and his constituents a service if he just resigned,” Garcia said before the final expulsion vote. “A person that fabricates their entire life story and gets elected on a lie should not be in Congress.”