Santos dares lawmakers to take expulsion vote: ‘Put up or shut up’

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) dared fellow lawmakers to vote to expel him from the House on Tuesday, demanding they “put up or shut up.”

“All these members are pushing this [expulsion vote],” he told reporters Tuesday. “They want me to resign because they don’t want to take this tough vote that sets the precedent to their own demise in the future.”

Santos faces a third expulsion vote this week over allegations that he violated campaign finance law and defrauded supporters. He faces more than a dozen criminal charges for his alleged actions, but has not yet faced trial. He survived a similar effort, the second, earlier this month.

“They’re not immune from all the nonsense that goes on in Washington, where you all [reporters] follow them around with cameras and microphones in their faces. They don’t like it either,” he continued. “So they can keep it up. They can keep doing this. But my message to them is put up or shut up, and enough of the charade.”

The third effort to expel Santos is being led by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who called a privileged resolution for the effort Tuesday, forcing a floor vote likely set for Thursday.

“Time’s up,” Garcia said in a statement Tuesday. 

Santos has repeatedly refused calls for his resignation and has denied wrongdoing. He told reporters that he spoke with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) over the Thanksgiving holiday and that the Speaker did not ask him to resign.

In an X Spaces talk Friday, Santos said he will likely be expelled if the measure is voted on.

“I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor,” Santos said. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good.” 

Santos’s support is expected to decline from the previous votes, after the House Ethics Committee released a scathing report this month finding “substantial evidence” to show Santos “knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission.”

The congressman is expected to stand trial against his 13 criminal charges in September 2024. He announced earlier this month that he will not seek reelection.