A House Ethics Committee investigation found that Santos misused campaign funds for personal expenses and "Engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC." Republicans now have a slim 221-213 majority in the House after the vacancy resulting from Santos' expulsion.
Expelling a member of Congress requires a two-thirds vote in either chamber, according to House and Senate rules.
Only 2 Democrats voted to allow him to stay in the House.
"But in the long term, I think this will actually be a greater benefit to House Republicans as we go into the 2024 election cycle." Republicans who voted to allow Santos to remain in the House argued that ousting a lawmaker without a criminal conviction sets the wrong precedent.
"This was not something that House Republicans were looking to do. It was not an easy thing to do. And that's why I said that integrity won today, which will bode extremely well for House Republicans and once again, House Democrats should take a note from today's playbook." In November 2010, when the Democrats controlled the House, a House Ethics Committee panel found then-Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., guilty of 11 charges of ethics violations.
At the time, the House voted to censure Rangel but he was not expelled.
In 2011, the Republicans gained the majority in the House but there was no vote to oust Rangel.
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