George Santos Tells Congress 'I Will Not Be Resigning'

U.S. House of Representatives lawmakers from both parties moved Tuesday to force a vote this week on the expulsion of Rep. George Santos, a Republican from New York who was the subject of a scathing ethics investigation released earlier this month and is facing nearly two dozen charges in federal court.

Santos responded to the competing expulsion resolutions by taking to the House floor and asking colleagues to understand what kind of precedent it would set for him to be removed before federal charges against him are resolved. He made clear he would not be resigning beforehand.

“This expulsion vote simply undermines and underscores the precedent that we've had in this chamber,” Santos said. “It starts and puts us in a new direction, a dangerous one.” "I will not be resigning," Santos added.

Santos has survived two prior expulsion votes. But a report released by the House Ethics Committee following a monthslong investigation has prompted new outrage. The report released Nov. 16 was unsparing in its criticism, concluding that Santos “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”

“He blatantly stole from his campaign. He deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit,” the report said. Santos was critical of the committee's investigation, saying it was “incomplete, irresponsible and littered with hyperbole and littered with biased opinions.”

The Ethics Committee did not make any recommendations on how to deal with Santos, saying that doing so would involve a lengthy, trial-like process that would only give Santos more opp

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