WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — New York GOP Rep. George Santos’ time in the House may be running out.
According to multiple reports, his fellow New York Republicans in the House are moving to expel Santos as early as next week.
Politico reports Rep. Anthony D’Esposito introduced a measure Thursday to oust the freshman lawmaker, who is facing a slew of charges ranging from money laundering to theft of public funds.
Santos, however, may be rescued by Washington’s fierce partisan divide. He could fend off an expulsion, which requires two-thirds of the vote. The House will reportedly consider the measure next week.
Prosecutors have accused Santos of charging more than $44,000 to his campaign over a period of months using cards belonging to contributors without their knowledge. In one case, he charged $12,000 to a contributor’s credit card and transferred the “vast majority” of that money into his personal bank account, prosecutors said.
Santos is also accused of falsely reporting to the Federal Elections Commission that he had loaned his campaign $500,000 when he actually hadn’t given anything and had less than $8,000 in the bank. The fake loan was an attempt to convince Republican Party officials that he was a serious candidate, worth their financial support, the indictment said.
Santos’ personal and professional biography as a wealthy businessman unraveled soon after winning election to represent parts of Long Island and Queens last year, revealing a tangled web of deception.
In addition to lying to voters — about his distinguished Wall Street background, Jewish heritage, academic and athletic achievements, animal rescue work, real estate holdings and more — Santos is accused of carrying out numerous schemes meant to enrich himself and mislead his donors.
He was initially arrested in May on a 13-count federal indictment, which charged him with using funds earmarked for campaign expenses on designer clothes and other personal expenses and improperly obtaining unemployment benefits meant for Americans who lost work because of the pandemic.
Financial questions have continued to swirl around Santos, who claimed to be rich but spent much of his adulthood bouncing between low-paying jobs and unemployment while fending off eviction cases and two separate criminal charges relating to his use of bad checks.
Former Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., signaled in early October he plans to run for his old seat in New York’s 3rd Congressional District and challenge Santos.
“Today I’m filing a committee to run for Congress in November 2024. The madness in Washington, DC, and the absurdity of George Santos remaining in the United States Congress is obvious to everyone,” Suozzi said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.