The U.S. House of Representatives voted Friday to impeach New York Republican lawmaker George Santos. This is the sixth impeachment in House history and has received bipartisan support.
311 lawmakers voted for impeachment, including 105 Republicans, and 114 voted against. Two previous attempts to oust him failed, but this time Santos was finally removed from public office. "Damn this place," Santos said as he left Congress, adding, "Why would I want to stay here?"
Video: House Speaker McCarthy impeached by Republican members of his party (archive)
Santos' ouster comes amid a series of scandals involving his name that have created his image as a serial liar. Among other things, it was reported that Santos used political donations for personal purposes such as Botocus treatments and personal vacations at luxury resorts such as Atlantic City, New Jersey, designer clothing and even a subscription to the adult content site OnlyFans.
Santos was also caught lying multiple times about his personal life. He has previously claimed that his grandparents fled the Nazis during World War II, while other reports showed that the two were Catholics born in Brazil. Santos also said his mother was at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Over the years, it has been claimed that many parts of his published biography are fabricated, including information about his education, philanthropic activities, and property ownership. Although he said he worked at Wall Street's leading banks, Golden Sachs and Citigroup, a New York Times investigation showed no documentation of this, nor of his studies at Baruch College in New York City. Santos is openly gay even though he holds conservative views, even on LGBT issues.
Santos answers questions from reporters after investigations against him, Photo: AP
Santos will also face federal charges of wire fraud, illegal transactions and theft of public funds. He is also accused of falsifying financial data as part of his political campaign to paint a picture of a financially strong campaign, and even receiving unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic while he was actually employed by an investment firm in Florida.
As the Republican majority in the House of Representatives became even narrower following the impeachment, New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul will be required to schedule a special election to fill the vacancy expected in February.
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