The House of Representatives of USA expelled the controversial Republican legislator this Friday on the third attempt George Santoswho had built his political career on lies and alleged crimes.
Santos was expelled with 311 votes in favor and 114 against, with many of his Republican colleagues joining the Democrats to achieve the necessary two-thirds that forced his departure from office. Congress.
READ ALSO: How possible is a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas?
As it became clear that the votes for his expulsion would be sufficient, Saints He shook hands goodbye to his few allies and left the chamber before the final result was announced.
His position, representing a wealthy district of long Island (NY), is now vacant pending elections to be called.
The one of Saints It is the sixth expulsion of a legislator in the 230-year history of the Congress American, so it is an exceptional measure that in the case of Santos is unprecedented.
The first three expulsions, in 1861, were to secessionists from the Confederacywhile the other two, in 1981 and 2002, to congressmen convicted of corruption crimes.
Santos has not been convicted of any crime, but is charged with 13 counts of fraudmoney laundering and theft of public funds – for illegally collecting $24,000 from the unemployment fund -, among others.
It is also noted by an internal report of the House of Representatives Ethics Committee, controlled by his Republican colleagues, having pocketed more than $200,000 of his campaign funds for personal purposes.
Among the expenses that Santos would have incurred with that money are purchases in Hermes, Ferragamo either Sephoraa subscription on the adult content page OnlyFans or various trips, as well as recurring payments to your credit cards.
But beyond his alleged crimes and ethical misconduct, what he has really done to Saints famous during the 11 months that he has been a congressman, there have been recurring scandals usually related to his lies.
Santos lied when he explained that his grandparents had fled the Holocaustwhen he assured that his mother had survived the attacks on the New York Twin Towers or when he said he was Jewish.
Also on his resume, when he said that he had worked in Wall Street or that he had studied in New York University (NYU). He also had an open judicial process for fraud in Brazilwhere he had lived and from where he fled without being held accountable.
All this had caused two previous expulsion attempts, but Saints He had survived both.
On Thursday, in his last hours as a congressman, the Low camera celebrated the debate in which Santos faced, above all, his party colleagues who were going to allow his fall.
“you are a thief“, the Republican snapped at Santos Max Millerto which Santos responded: “My colleague wants to come here and call me a thief. The same colleague who has been accused of mistreating women. “We all have a past.”
