Santos, who lied about his work history, education and family background, among other things, is the sixth member of parliament in US history to be expelled from the House of Representatives.
The US House of Representatives on Friday voted Republican Rep by George Santos dismissal for ethical violations.
The House of Representatives voted 311–114 to dismiss. The decision required a two-thirds majority.
According to the report on Santos’ activities, the Republican representative diverted the funds received as a campaign donation to his own use. According to the report, Santos was guilty of violating federal laws.
With the vote, Santos became the sixth representative in US history to be expelled from the House of Representatives.
Santos defended his stay in office, appealing to representatives who fear the firing decision will set a new precedent that could make firings more common. Santos also led his own defense in the House of Representatives debate, press conference and interviews.
– I’m not going to watch from the sidelines, Santos declared the night before the vote.
– The voters of my constituency sent me here. If they want me out, you have to go silence those people, Santos continued.
In fact, 78 percent of those who voted for Santos wanted him to resign, says the television channel NBC News.
Santos lied about his work history, education and family background
In May, Santos was indicted on federal charges of fraud, money laundering and misappropriation of public funds. According to the Reuters news agency, for example, Santos received unemployment benefits while working and laundered money to finance his own personal expenses.
He was also suspected of lying about his wealth and income to the US House of Representatives.
About a year ago, Santos was caught lying about his education and work experience, among other things.
According to Reuters, Santos said, for example, that he received degrees from New York University and Baruch College. When the information started to be checked, it turned out that he was not in the register of either degree program.
Santos also claimed to have worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, two international banks. This too was later found to be a lie.
The lies went so far that Santos claimed to be Jewish and said that his grandparents had fled Nazi occupation in World War II.
He has explained his lies to the British broadcasting company BBC in the interview saying they were intended to win the approval of the Republican Party.
Sources: AP, Reuters