House Votes Against Expelling Indicted Rep. George Santos Amid Bipartisan Concerns Over Constitutional Due Process

Vote against expelling Rep. George Santos reveals bipartisan hesitations regarding lack of due process, with no member convicted or found guilty of charges propagated by resolution; Ethics Committee to release investigation findings by Nov. 17.

The House of Representatives voted against the resolution to expel Rep. George Santos, indicted on 23 criminal charges, due to bipartisan concerns over the lack of due process. The vote was 179 in favor of expulsion, 213 against, with 19 voting present.
The issue saw surprising bipartisan cooperation, with 31 Democrats joining the Republican majority to prevent Santos's expulsion. Some Democrats noted that their vote was not a statement of Santos's innocence, but a move to protect due process.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland was one of the Democrats who voted against expulsion, arguing that Santos has yet to be criminally convicted of the offenses for which he's been indicted, nor been found guilty of ethics offenses in the House's internal process.
There were concerns about setting a precedent for expulsion based on criminal accusations rather than convictions. The House has only expelled five members in its history, three during the Civil War and two after their convictions on public corruption charges.
The Ethics Committee is currently investigating Santos's case and is set to announce its next course of action by November 17. Rep. Nick LaLota has already said he plans to offer the resolution again after the committee releases its report.