So Long and Farewell to the Most Entertaining Person in Congress

Representative George Santos was officially expelled from Congress on Friday, making him only the sixth member ever given the boot.

The House voted 311–114 to remove Santos, a rare bipartisan vote. The state of New York must now hold a special election to replace him.

Santos left the chamber before the vote was finished. When asked for a reaction after his expulsion was made official, he told reporters, “It’s over. What reaction?”

The New York Republican had survived a previous expulsion vote at the beginning of November. Representatives voted 179–213 against the resolution to remove Santos (with 19 members voting “present”). Multiple Democrats said they wanted to see the result of an Ethics Committee investigation into Santos before taking a move as extreme as expulsion.

The report was released just two weeks later, and it was a bombshell. “The evidence uncovered by the Investigative Subcommittee (ISC) revealed that Representative George Santos cannot be trusted,” the report stated. “At nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles.”

Santos repeatedly used his campaign to solicit donations, only to use that money for personal expenses, including buying designer goods and makeup, getting cosmetic procedures, and “smaller purchases at OnlyFans.”

Although he was only in Congress for 11 months, Santos managed to become one of the most controversial figures on Capitol Hill. A year ago, it was revealed that Santos had fabricated the bulk of his professional and educational résumé.

In addition to misusing campaign funds and lying about his employment history, Santos has falsely claimed that his grandparents were Holocaust survivors, his mother died in the 9/11 attacks, and four of his employees were killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting. He also lied about founding an animal rescue charity and producing the disastrous Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

Santos has been federally charged with 23 counts of various types of financial fraud. He pleaded not guilty to the initial 13 in May, and he has denied the additional 10 that were filed in October in a superseding indictment. Earlier this year, he also agreed to a deal with Brazilian authorities investigating him for financial fraud so he could avoid prosecution.

Honestly, he really fit in well with his fellow Republicans. And now his bright light has been extinguished.