Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is proven listening as Republicans attempt to elect Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., to be the brand new House speaker, on the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.

Alex Brandon/AP

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Alex Brandon/AP

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is proven listening as Republicans attempt to elect Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., to be the brand new House speaker, on the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.

Alex Brandon/AP

WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos simply survived a vote Wednesday to expel him from the House as most Republicans and 31 Democrats opted to withhold punishment whereas each his felony trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation proceed.

The effort to kick Santos out of the House was led by his fellow New York Republicans, who’re anxious to distance themselves from a colleague notorious for fabricating his life story and accused of stealing from donors, mendacity to Congress and receiving unemployment advantages he didn’t deserve.

But the decision failed to realize the required two-thirds vote. Supporters couldn’t even acquire a easy majority, with the ultimate vote being 179 for expulsion and 213 towards.

To succeed, quite a few Republican lawmakers would have needed to break ranks with newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson, who has mentioned Santos ought to get his day in courtroom. Johnson, R-La., additionally not too long ago instructed Fox News that if Congress goes to expel members as a result of they’re charged with a criminal offense or accused of wrongdoing, “that’s a problem.”

Some Democrats additionally voiced issues about getting forward of the Ethics Committee, which issued a uncommon memo the day earlier than, citing the depth of its investigation with some 40 witnesses contacted and the issuance of 37 subpoenas. It additionally mentioned the subsequent steps of the committee’s investigation can be introduced by Nov. 17.

“I feel like due process is still alive. I feel like there’s enough colleagues on both sides of the aisle here who understand that,” Santos mentioned after the vote.

Congress has not often resorted to probably the most excessive punishment at its disposal. The House has expelled solely 5 members in its historical past — three throughout the Civil War and two after their convictions on public corruption costs. It can be groundbreaking for the House to kick out Santos earlier than his case in federal courtroom is resolved.

Some Republicans, nevertheless, mentioned they’d seen sufficient of Santos. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., mentioned he believes in due course of, but additionally thinks Santos misrepresented himself to New York voters and so they by no means would have elected him if they’d “known the true George Santos.”

“We don’t need the Santos charade all the way through the 2024 election cycle. I think the Congress needs to take action now,” Womack mentioned.

The House ground debate over whether or not to expel Santos was undertaken strictly by members of the New York congressional delegation. On one facet, Republican Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Nick LaLota and Mike Lawler laid out their case for expelling Santos.

“Mr. Santos is a stain on this institution and not fit to serve his constituents in the House of Representatives,” D’Esposito mentioned.

On the opposite facet was Santos, who appealed to lawmakers to carry off on expulsion, saying that passing judgment with out due course of would engender distrust.

“I’m fighting tooth and nail to clear my name in front of the entire world,” Santos mentioned. “It hasn’t been easy, but I’m fighting by God’s grace.”

The solely Democratic lawmaker to talk throughout the debate was Rep. Dan Goldman. He mentioned Santos ought to have been expelled in May when Democrats introduced an expulsion decision, and the one motive the New York Republicans have been main the trouble now was as a result of Santos “hangs like an albatross around the necks of every single Republican from New York.”

“They don’t care any more about integrity or morality or the reputation of this institution than they did in May when they voted to protect Mr. Santos,” Goldman mentioned. “They just care about their reelection in one year when they know that their support for George Santos is going to be a problem.”

The New York Republicans specified by their expulsion decision the array of costs Santos is dealing with in federal courtroom, saying the costs indicated Santos engaged in critical monetary fraud all through his 2022 marketing campaign for the House. The decision mentioned he deceived voters relating to his biography and is “not fit to serve his constituents as United States Representative.”

“Mr. Santos has said expelling him before he is formally charged and found guilty would create a new precedent in this body, one that could have negative consequences for generations,” LaLota mentioned. “Respectfully, Mr. Speaker, I disagree. The consequences and precedents of not expelling him for his lies and fraud has the potential to do far more damage to this institution.”

In May, Republicans below then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California sidestepped the Democratic-led effort to expel Santos. While 204 Democrats voted towards a movement to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee, House Republicans stood unified behind the trouble that delayed motion on Santos’ conduct.

Johnson, who took the speaker’s gavel final week, made it clear he would favor to not oust Santos at this level, regardless of the numerous costs towards the congressman, as Johnson struggles to manage a really slim majority.

“He’s only been charged. He hasn’t been found guilty of anything. We have due process in America,” mentioned GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who opposed the expulsion decision.

Democrats have been additionally extra divided than they have been throughout the earlier expulsion effort towards Santos.

“Neither the Ethics Committee nor the courts have finished adjudicating this,” tweeted Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., who voted towards expulsion. “In this country, one is presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty. No exceptions.”

Rep. Marc Molinaro, a New York Republican who supported the expulsion effort, mentioned the delegation would possible increase it once more as soon as the Ethics Committee releases the findings of its investigation.

“I suspect the report is going to come public soon, and it’s going to be clear that he should be removed from Congress,” he mentioned.

Santos faces 23 costs in federal courtroom. His trial has been scheduled for September subsequent 12 months. He has pleaded not guilty to these costs.

Also on Wednesday night, the House voted to reject an effort to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Democrats known as off an effort to censure Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.