Democrats gloated after expelling Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress on Friday by a vote of 311 to 114.
Santos is the sixth member to be expelled from the House in two decades.
The reactions suggest a double standard: Santos has not been convicted of wrongdoing, but Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) recently pled guilty to pulling a fire alarm. He remains a member of Congress.
BUSTED: Security Video Shows Democrat Jamaal Bowman Take Down Warning Signs, Pull Fire Alarm
U.S. Capitol Police“BOOM! GTFO,” radical left X account “Angry Staffer” posted. “This makes GOP leadership look even worse. 105 of their members bucked the entire leadership team to expel Santos. Would never happen to Pelosi or Jeffries.”
“He blatantly stole from his campaign to enrich himself, spending thousands of dollars on Botox, OnlyFans, and Hermes, among other things. There’s serious work to be done in Congress, and Rep. Santos’ behavior has no place here,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) posted immediately after the vote.
“George Santos is no longer a Member of Congress, and the institution is better off for it,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) posted on X.
Aaron Rupar, a radical left content creator on X, mocked Republicans after the expulsion. “The House just set a dangerous precedent that members who lie about literally everything, commit fraud as a lifestyle, and go on lifetime crime sprees cannot serve in Congress.”Santos leaving the Capitol after the threshold to expels him gets hit — with a gaggle for the books pic.twitter.com/Y6GdLcKT3h
— Ursula Perano (@UrsulaPerano) December 1, 2023
The expulsion drew mixed reactions from Republicans.
“No Member of Congress has ever been expelled without a conviction; this is a dangerous precedent and I am voting no based upon my concerns regarding due process,” House Conference Chair Else Stefanik (R-NY) said. “I have said from the beginning that this process will play out in the judicial system which it currently is.”
Establishment Republican Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (R-FL) took a hardline view: “Those who steal money, especially from their constituents and supporters, should not serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), one of the most libertarian members of Congress, said he voted not to expel Santos but did not explain why.
“I voted against the resolution to expel Representative George Santos,” he said, “but the measure garnered at least 2/3’s of the votes in the House and he is now no longer a member of Congress. The vote was 311 to 114.”
RELATED — Republican Ken Buck: I Favor Expelling George Santos if He Doesn’t Resign Before Thanksgiving
Follow Wendell Husebø on “X” @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
