George Santos expelled: Who else been expelled from the House of Representatives? List of expulsions
Third time is the charm as the New York representative became only the sixth person in history to be removed by his colleagues after numerous scandals.
Republican Rep. George Santos has finally been voted out of Congress. The final vote was 311 voting to expel with only 114 voting to keep him, much more than the majority needed.
Santos has been charged with a slew of crimes including conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, credit card fraud, and new charges of misspending campaign funds. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Republicans, who had been unwilling to send their colleague home in previous votes but finally turned on him after the publication of a damning report from the House ethics committee.
Members of the House of Representatives can be and have been expelled, but it is a rare occurrence. Other disciplinary actions, such as censure or reprimand, are more commonly used for addressing misconduct by members of Congress.
READ ALSO: The controversies of Rep. George Santos
Has anyone ever been expelled from the House of Representatives?
There have only been five members of the House of Representatives who have been expelled, and three of these expulsions occurred in the year 1861, with only two taking place in recent history.
Here are the five members who have been removed from the House:
- John Bullock Clark (1861) was a representative from Missouri who was expelled for his support of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
- John W. Reid (1861) was also expelled for disloyalty to the Union and fighting for the confederacy
- Henry C. Burnett (1861), like Clark and Reid, was ousted for disloyalty to the Union and his support for the Confederacy.
- Michael J. Myers (1980) of Pennsylvania was expelled for his involvement in the Abscam scandal, a federal corruption investigation involving bribes to public officials.
- James A. Traficant (2002) of Ohio was expelled following his conviction on charges of bribery, racketeering, and tax evasion.
- George Santos (2023) of New York was expelled for multiple allegations of fruad
How are members of the House of Representatives expelled?
Expulsion from the House is a serious and consequential action, and it is pursued in cases of severe misconduct. It’s a drastic measure and requires a two-thirds majority vote of the House to pass.
The process of expulsion involves a formal investigation by the House Ethics Committee, followed by a vote by the full House.
The Constitution (Article I, Section 5) grants the House of Representatives the authority to expel one of its members for “disorderly behavior.” Ousting a Representative is usually invoked in cases of serious misconduct, such as criminal activities, corruption, or actions that bring disrepute to the House.