GOP George Santos, House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest.

DLNews Update on George Santos:

House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest of Mississippi introduced a resolution Friday to expel New York Republican George Santos from Congress following an investigation by the Ethics Committee's investigative subcommittee into Santos' campaign activities for personal financial gain, including filing false reports and misusing campaign funds, according to its 56-page report. As a result, Guest forwarded their findings directly to the Justice Department, which eventually issued 23 counts against Santos, including wire fraud and identity theft charges.

As part of its investigation, the subcommittee met with over 40 witnesses, reviewed over 170,000 documents, and authorized over three dozen subpoenas as part of its probe. As part of their findings, the subcommittee discovered Santos was engaged in a pattern of misconduct ranging from using campaign money for lavish purchases such as Botox injections or Hermes bags to buying sexual content via an online platform called OnlyFans; according to this panel, Santos refused any cooperation efforts or provided direct requests for information by resisting attempts and dodging demands for information by this investigative committee.

House Republicans, who hold a narrow 221-213 majority in Congress, have repeatedly called on Santos to step aside, yet he has refused. On Thursday, he told reporters he would not run for reelection in 2024 and vote on an expulsion measure when returning from recess next week. Santos is also subject to 23 counts accusing him of corruption and fraud and facing expulsion proceedings from Congress.

"Why is it taking an unreasonably long time to convict and remove the corrupt politicians from Congress? It's time we take serious action against these bad players and hold them accountable for their actions."