How did NJ delegation vote on George Santos? What could it mean for Sen. Bob Menendez?

For the sixth time in history, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives was expelled. George Santos, a congressman elected to represent New York's Long Island in 2022, faced an investigation by the House Ethics Committee before ultimately being kicked out of Congress with a vote of 311-114.

How did NJ's congressional delegation vote?

The New Jersey delegation all voted in favor of the measure. After the vote, Rep. Bill Pascrell, a Democrat, said in a statement that Santos is a “con artist, a fraudster, and one of the biggest embarrassments ever elected to the United States Congress.”

Santos had been accused of using campaign funds for his own personal benefit as well as federal crimes.

Implications for Menendez

Some were concerned that expelling Santos would set a precedent, especially considering how rare it is to happen. There have been calls for the last few months for New Jersey's senior senator, Sen. Bob Menendez, to face a similar fate.

Among the most vocal has been Pennsylvania's Sen. John Fetterman. He renewed his call for Menendez to face a similar fate on ABC’s The View on Friday, saying that he has a “colleague in the Senate that actually has done much more sinister and serious kinds of things.”

“If you are going to expel Santos, how can you allow somebody like Menendez to stay in the Senate?” Fetterman said.

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Last month, the first-term senator introduced a new resolution that would implement safeguards against senators who are indicted for serious offenses like mishandling classified information, being charged as a foreign agent or compromising national security.

The resolution would strip any senator facing these charges from their committee assignments, prohibit them from accessing classified information or classified briefings and prohibit the ability to request earmarks or use official funds for international travel.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: George Santos: How did NJ vote? What it means for Bob Menendez