Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

Mr. Speaker, efforts taken by other Members in this body to act as judge, jury, and executioner are unconscionable and reckless to our Republican system of government and to the integrity of this body.

I stand today to continue to prove my innocence of these allegations and charges leveled against me. I would like to say I understand the point of view of my colleagues, but I don't.

One can't say that they are pro-Constitution and at the same time act as judge, jury, and executioner.

Where is the consistency, Mr. Speaker?

The actions taken within this body are delicate, and consistency is essential. Now is not the time to set a dangerous precedent.

Consider this: The last time a Member of Congress was expelled was in 2002, following a criminal conviction. In fact, both expulsions in the last two centuries took place after the defendants had been convicted.

To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I would like to remind you that many of you are supporting another Member of Congress who is under investigation--it is the second time he has been indicted--and even one who recently pleaded guilty to a crime. Rather than calling for their resignation, here we are.

I must warn my colleagues that voting for expulsion at this point would circumvent the judicial system's right to due process that I am entitled to and desanctify the long-held premise that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

It is unconscionable to think that this body, which is at war with the DOJ over their politically motivated practices, would blindly accept their accusation against a member of another branch of government.

We were each elected to Congress because our constituents supported our pledge to uphold the Constitution, protect our liberties, and put their needs first. We swore with our palms to the Bible to do so.

This expulsion, unfortunately, is politically motivated by some Members within this body. They believe that by attempting to expel me, they will garner political points, capitalize on political fundraising, and receive congratulations from those who do not approve of my voting record.

During this Congress, we have seen the world set aflame, our allies attacked, recession looming, crime out of control, an unprecedented border crisis, and the diminishment of American power, prestige, and respect at home and around the globe. We should focus on solving these pressing issues that plague our Nation and that affect our citizens every single day. Instead, we are prioritizing petty politics and undermining the integrity of our system of government, all for political cheap gains.

Pettifog all you want, but you can never say I am not committed to serving my constituents of New York's Third Congressional District. I have strived to build relationships and institutional acumen to represent and legislate for my people back home. Since I took office, over 1,100 cases for constituents have been solved, key relationships with stakeholders in the district have been built, and a fresh voice of common sense and servant leadership has returned to New York.

My office has no strings attached to political parties and apparatuses back home, so I am free to represent them openly here without the overlords of the GOP over my head in New York and Nassau County.

My office has done instrumental work regarding passports, collaborating with State and local agencies, working with the Department of State throughout this ongoing Israel crisis for constituents overseas, and countless other requests.

In addition, I am proud to have two fully staffed district offices serving the constituents of New York's Third District, participating in the service academy nominations for dozens of exceptional candidates from Long Island and Northeast Queens, and being involved in the Congressional Art Competition.

One of my highest honors of being in Congress was presenting a Purple Heart medal to a World War I hero's surviving family member after years of them attempting to garner this from my predecessor. I will never cease to honor those who have defended this Republic and our homeland.

From my involvement in assisting residents of New York's Third District being held hostage by Hamas terrorists to my contributions in the effort to close the migrant shelter at the Creedmoor facility in Bellerose, being a champion for the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, and my resolve to clamp down on China's growing influence against American interests, there is one thing consistent and unwavering, and that is dedication to selfless service. This motivates me to work day in and day out on behalf of them and to represent their interests and values.

I am proud to have one of the most conservative voting records in the 118th Congress and the most conservative voting record in New York's delegation. I will never apologize for voting in line with conservative principles and my district.

Let us remember our commitment to justice ensures that the presumption of innocence is upheld in all cases.

I requested that my evaluation be based on the work I do in this body, and you granted me a reprieve earlier this year on the advice of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. I am asking the Chamber to please uphold those same principles today.

I hope that my colleagues come to their senses and recognize that the perilous consequences of a trial by media are damaging. The loss of the presumption of innocence establishes a dangerous precedent that threatens the very foundation of our legal system, and we risk losing the trust that the American people have placed in us by passing judgment without due process.

If we work together, we can protect the integrity of our system and the rights of all citizens.

I am fighting tooth and nail to clear my name in front of the entire world, Mr. Speaker. It hasn't been easy, but I am fighting by God's grace.

On a final note, as we wear these pins and stand within these Chambers as elected Members of Congress, we cannot speak out of both sides of our mouths. Promising to uphold the principles of the Constitution while simultaneously trampling on the principles that underpin our fundamental rights granted by the Constitution is hypocrisy.

I hope that the House will understand the scope of this vote and have the courage to do what is right, not what is politically expedient.

I stand firmly in my innocence and my passion to represent the people of New York's Third District if the voters would continue to have me. It is their responsibility and their responsibility alone to elect or remove me from Congress.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me to make my case directly to you.

For God, for country, for liberty. God bless the United States of America, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution I previously noticed.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues on this floor, we were elected with a commitment to work on both sides of the aisle to represent our constituents and the American people.

Unfortunately, we learned very early into Mr. Santos' term that he was elected under false pretenses, which made it clear that he cannot represent the great constituents of Nassau County and across this country.

Since he was elected in November of 2022, we have learned about countless lies, deceptions, and 23 charges against Mr. Santos.

It is in the best interest of the constituents of New York's 3rd and all Americans that he is expelled from the House of Representatives.

The lies, the deceptions about September 11 terrorist attacks, his education, his work history, his faith, the fact that he was Jew-ish, claiming that his grandparents escaped the horrors of the Holocaust. We also saw that he pled to a crime in Brazil.

I was one of the first Members of Congress to call for his resignation, doing so in January.

In May, I motioned for an expulsion resolution to be referred to the Committee on Ethics, asking for a thorough and expedient investigation, as there were not yet two-thirds ``yes'' votes needed from this Chamber for him to be expelled.

Despite my desire to see Mr. Santos no longer serving in Congress, I believed that this would be the quickest way to rid him from the institution, and I thanked that committee. They recently released a memo interviewing over 40 witnesses, reviewing over 170,000 pages of documents, doing their due diligence.

Just weeks ago, Mr. Santos' former campaign treasurer pled guilty to falsifying campaign finance reports, including lying about a $500,000 loan that Mr. Santos claimed to have donated to the campaign himself.

Days later, Mr. Santos was charged with an additional 10 criminal counts. These charges included conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States of America, aggravated identity theft, and the indictment outlined a vast amount of evidence against Mr. Santos.

All you have to do is look at the lies and deceptions in the resolution and details of the indictments--multiple indictments--to see that Mr. Santos is a stain on this institution and not fit to serve his constituents in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, over the last days I have heard from many Members saying that there is due process, that there is precedent.

Well, I stand before you today, Mr. Speaker, in saying that if we are going to set a new precedent today, that we are against lying fraudsters coming to the House of Representatives, then I am all for that precedent. I will add to that, Mr. Speaker, that many individuals have come to Washington, D.C., to rid us of the swamp.

Well, today, we have an opportunity to set a new precedent and to remove someone from the House of Representatives that is not properly representing

the people of New York's Third Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First, I recognize some of the comments from my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman) when he asked what has changed.

What has changed is that there are an additional 13 charges in an indictment with a campaign treasurer pleading guilty. What has changed is that when we had discussed this back in May, when he cosponsored that legislation, I made it very clear that I was in support of it, but I also know how to count and realized that we did not have two-thirds of the House. Perhaps we won't this evening.

What I do know is that the Ethics Committee has been working hard, as they issued a memo, as I referred to a few minutes ago, reviewing over 170,000 pages of documents, interviewing 40 witnesses, and issuing subpoenas. Things have changed.

I find it very hard to take advice about serving constituents, Mr. Speaker, from a gentleman who has outright supported a rogue DA like Alvin Bragg in New York City, who has turned one of the greatest cities in this country into an outright disaster. Just ask your constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I first would point out that constitutional due process doesn't apply here.

We have the facts. They have been outlined over the last 10 months, and the facts are that Mr. Santos actually admitted to those lies and deceptions.

He references the concern of this body and the fact that we may be losing trust. I want to let everyone in on a stark reminder. Coming from New York, New Yorkers don't agree on much of anything, but 78 percent of the individuals who live in the Third Congressional District do not want George Santos as their Representative, so it seems to me that trust has already been lost.

Like my colleagues mentioned, this is not something we want to do. In fact, I wasn't elected to Congress, nor were my colleagues here from New York, to entertain issues like this. While Mr. Santos referenced the work that needs to be done here in the 118th Congress, like fighting the out-of-control spending from the Biden administration, holding President Biden accountable for his lies and deception and failure to uphold the Constitution, securing our southern border, keeping our communities safe, making this country energy independent-- yes, that is the work that we want to do. That is the work that our neighbors sent us here to do. Each time we attempt to do that work, we are sidetracked by yet another story involving George Santos.

So you see, we are here today because we have heard all the facts. We know what is at stake, and yes, we understand that there is a precedent. But, by God, if there is ever a time that the American people want to see a new standard, want to see a new precedent set on Capitol Hill, I think now is the time. They have watched over the last 3 or 4 weeks while we tried to find our new Speaker of the House. This government was on hold, and we couldn't do the work of the American people.

Do you know what? They are looking at us and want us to be held to a higher standard. That is why we are putting this resolution on the floor, not because we want to and not for political points.

This resolution would have been put forth by me whether I represent a bright red district or the brightest of blue districts. This is about doing the right thing. It is about putting this institution first, and it is about giving the people of the Third Congressional District the opportunity to be represented.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and fellow Long Islander, Mr. D'Esposito, for yielding me time to speak for my fellow New York colleagues who are joining us this afternoon.

New Yorkers from Queens and Nassau Counties deserve better than George Santos--a total fraud and serial liar--representing them in Congress. Each day that Mr. Santos is allowed to remain a Member of Congress, my New York neighbors to the west are being denied real representation in these Halls. That is because their Representative is incapable of getting a bill passed, a project funded, or even sitting on a committee because he lacks the minimum amount of trust necessary of a Member of Congress.

Today, the best way to support my fellow New Yorkers and overcome George Santos' fraud is to expel George Santos from the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Santos has said expelling him before he is formally charged and found guilty would create new precedent in this body, one that could have negative consequences for generations.

Respectfully, Mr. Speaker, I disagree. The consequences and precedents for not expelling him for his lies and fraud have the potential to do far more damage to this institution.

I would submit today that we have an opportunity to set a new standard, a new precedent, that if a candidate for Congress makes his entire life up in order to defraud voters and donors and subsequently those voters reasonably rely on that candidate's lies to elect him or her, that we, the House of Representatives, will exercise the authority given to us in the Constitution to expel that Member.

George Santos' lies are more widespread than even the most untrustworthy politicians, and these lies were necessary to get him elected.

George Santos didn't just lie about his family's business dealings, like President Biden did, Santos lied about everything about his professional background, from his family's wealth to working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Santos committed this fraud, this election fraud, to create an entirely new persona that voters and donors could support. Santos' treasurer, his conspirator, recently pled guilty to their criminal conspiracy, which included faking a six-figure loan to the campaign to induce more contributions.

George Santos didn't just lie about attending a school on full scholarship or finishing in the top half of his class, like President Biden did, rather, Santos went much further.

To defraud voters and to swindle donors out of millions, George Santos lied about his entire education; not that he graduated in a certain part of his class, not that he received a specific award. Those lies are reserved for other slimy politicians and are worthy of different kinds of rebuke, less than expulsion.

George Santos lied about attending and graduating from Baruch College, meanwhile, he never attended Baruch. He never took one class. The fabulist even made up an entire fictional story about how he was a star on the school's volleyball team.

George Santos thinks that we are fools, Mr. Speaker. George Santos didn't just lie about being at Ground Zero on the day after September 11, like President Biden did, George Santos went much further, saying that his mother was in the south tower on 9/11 and escaped only to later die from a 9/11-related illness.

Santos lied about his association with 9/11 to win over Long Island families, families of cops and firefighters and other innocent people who died on 9/11, and whose hearts were ripped out that fateful day.

He did it as part of a broader scheme to defraud voters and donors to get him elected to Congress.

To further defraud voters and swindle donors out of millions, George Santos even lied about being Jewish. Like his lies about his association with 9/11, Santos lied about being Jewish as part of a calculated attempt to win over voters in the district that Santos is attempting to trick who has a strong Jewish population.

George Santos says the decision of whether he should remain in Congress should be left up to the people of New York's Third District.

I would argue that these New Yorkers were robbed of this opportunity when they were duped into voting for a fictitious candidate to represent them in Congress.

George Santos has stated himself that he lied about several parts of his life, including his education, and his mother dying as a result of 9/11. Today, 78 percent of his constituents support his expulsion from Congress.

George Santos also falsely claims that his expulsion is barred by the Constitution's 5th and 14th Amendment's due process clauses. Yet, the due process clauses do not apply to House proceedings such as expulsions. Moreover, the Constitution more broadly affords the accused the knowledge of the accusation against him, the opportunity to be heard, the ability to confront his or her accuser, and to be afforded a speedy trial.

Mr. Speaker, as of today, each of those conditions has been met. Nothing in the Constitution gives George Santos the right to endlessly stall and to abuse his office to seek a more preferable conviction or a plea deal.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Santos' behavior has shown a consistent disregard for the principles of bipartisanship, servant leadership, good governance, and civil discourse. He has shown no interest in being a serious Member of this Chamber or to do the people's work.

A Member of Congress should be committed to the betterment of the Nation and willing to compromise for the greater good. His actions and statements have demonstrated a concerning lack of this commitment.

Mr. Speaker, let's get the people of New York's Third District some decent representation. Let's raise the bar here in the House of Representatives. Let's hold one of our own accountable. Let's expel George Santos.

Mr. Speaker, I will say, listening to the sanctimoniousness of my colleague from New York is quite priceless, talking about politics. This is a gentleman who couldn't even condemn the New York City DSA in an op-ed and, in fact, was more upset that I introduced a resolution condemning them than the actions of those individuals within the New York City DSA that supported the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. That is precisely because of politics, because his district is one of the most progressive districts in America. He couldn't muster the courage to even condemn the New York City DSA, so save us your sanctimoniousness sitting over there with your smug look.

Mr. Speaker, nobody wants to be in a situation where they are expelling a Member of Congress. It is serious, and it comes with weight and gravity because that individual was elected by their constituents to serve and to represent their district. You don't expel a Member for being a jerk. You don't expel a Member for something they said. You expel a Member for their conduct.

The conduct of Mr. Santos has been embarrassing and unbecoming and unfit for public office. Lying about your background, lying about your life experiences, making up events that didn't occur in an effort to bamboozle voters into believing that you are the right person to represent them, is wrong, fundamentally wrong. It is why all of us called for Mr. Santos to resign when this information came to light.

The resolution that was brought about in May was referred to the Ethics Committee for two reasons. Number one, there was not two-thirds of the vote to expel; and, number two, you wanted to allow for a process to get more information that Members could hang their hat on in a vote. That process is ongoing. We all would have liked to have seen it resolved more expeditiously than it has been, but given the voluminous amount of lies, it has taken time.

What has changed since May is that you have a guilty plea by the treasurer who was involved in this scam who has laid out precisely what happened, and you have a superseding indictment, 13 additional felony charges, outlining precisely what happened.

Yes, Mr. Santos will get his day in court, but for the purposes of this body, we now have more than enough information from a court of law, with the guilty plea of his treasurer, to expel him from Congress.

When you can sit with a straight face and say that you attended an institution like Baruch College or that you were a volleyball superstar and recite this on a nationally syndicated radio show, when you can make up the fact that your mother was in the Twin Towers on September 11 with not even an ounce of shame or remorse, you are unfit to serve.

All of us, being from New York, remember that day precisely. I was in my fifth day of freshman year of high school. The number of my classmates whose parents were in the building, whose parents didn't come home, the number of first responders in each of our districts who still today are dying from 9/11-related illnesses, this is not something you joke about or you lie about. It is unfit.

We, as Members of this body, despite the political nonsense that just came out of my colleague's mouth from New York, we, as Members of this body, have tried to allow for a process to take place, allow for a process in which the Members of this body can be confident that Mr. Santos should be expelled from Congress.

That process has been allowed to play out, both in the Ethics Committee and here today. Based on the conviction and guilty plea of his treasurer and the admission of the fraud that was perpetrated upon donors, upon the NRCC, upon former Speaker McCarthy's chief of staff, that is more than sufficient evidence and information to expel Mr. Santos from Congress.

There is not enough time to go through the litany of lies that Mr. Santos has engaged in during his campaign and during his time in Congress, including just recently a claim that his 5-year-old niece was kidnapped by Chinese Communist Party spies.

All of us take seriously the oath that we took. All of us want to uphold the integrity of this institution. We are willing to take on a member of our party not for political gain, not because we think this is fun, but because it is right.

I would ask my colleague from New York, name me one time you ever stood up to your party. You couldn't even muster the courage to denounce the New York City DSA.

We will do what is right. We have brought this resolution forward, and I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of Mr. Santos' expulsion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution to expel George Santos from Congress, as I did in May when I cosponsored a similar expulsion resolution that the sponsors of today's resolution, my Republican colleagues from New York, did not support.

I agree with everything that my Republican colleagues have said here today, but everything they have said here today was also true in May when they voted to protect George Santos.

Has there been anything that has changed? Nothing about the numerous lies that Mr. Santos admitted himself to making in order to deceive his voters into electing him, nothing about his status as an indicted criminal defendant. Yes, there has been a superseding indictment with more allegations of criminal conduct, but he is still presumed innocent until proven guilty, as my New York friends relied upon in May when they voted to protect George Santos from expulsion.

Nothing has changed from the Ethics Committee, even though one of my colleagues from New York said that the Ethics Committee would expedite its investigation and release a report 60 days from the date of that May vote. Well, we are now 175 days since then and there is no ethics report that would prompt a change of heart.

One thing that has changed is that Mr. Santos' campaign treasurer pled guilty to fraud and admitted under oath that she conspired with Mr. Santos to fabricate a nonexistent $500,000 loan to his campaign, but the resolution drafted by my friends from New York does not even mention that new fact.

What really has changed since May? Is it because we are learning revelations of connections between Mr. Santos and our other Republican colleagues from New York serving in this body? Maybe. There is certainly one

thing we know that is motivating this change of heart: the 2024 election.

I know that the people of New York care about integrity. They care that one of their Republican Representatives is a liar and a fraud. They care about the fact that Mr. Santos has done nothing to serve his constituents yet still provides a loyal and vital vote to the Republican Party.

George Santos hangs like an albatross around the necks of every single Republican from New York. They don't care any more today about integrity or morality or the reputation of this institution than they did in May when they voted to protect Mr. Santos. They just care about their reelection in 1 year, when they know that their support for George Santos is going to be a problem.

Mr. Santos should be expelled from Congress today for the same reasons that he should have been expelled in May. He himself admitted to numerous lies that he made during the campaign to deceive the voters. He is only walking these Halls and voting on this floor because of those lies. Now, we have additional testimony that he conspired to commit fraud.

Democrats will once again vote to expel someone who should never have had the honor of walking these Halls and voting on legislation affecting the American people. The only question is whether Republicans care more about honor and integrity than they do about political power.

I hope the answer is yes, but I fear the answer is no.