In a historic vote, for only the sixth time in history, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expel one of its own members, U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), for alleged ethical and campaign finance violations.
Santos, the first out gay Republican elected to Congress as a non-incumbent, had predicted his ouster despite mounting a vigorous defense of himself during debate on the floor of the House.
Santos, who faces 23 federal criminal charges, has claimed that the House Ethics Committee rushed its investigation into allegations against him, with the intent of reaching a predetermined conclusion that he was guilty of wrongdoing.
Despite concerns from some lawmakers over the precedent that voting to expel a member who has not yet been convicted might set, and opposition from Republican House leadership, 105 Republicans — or almost half the caucus — voted with 206 Democrats to remove Santos from office.
The Republican members voting for expulsion were:
Robert Aderholt, Alabama (North-Central Alabama)
Rick Allen, Georgia (Augusta, Eastern Georgia)
Mark Amodei, Nevada (Reno, Northern Nevada)
Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota
Troy Balderson, Ohio (Central Ohio)
Andy Barr, Kentucky (Lexington, Central Kentucky)
Cliff Bentz, Oregon (Southern and Eastern Oregon)
Jack Bergman, Michigan (Upper Peninsula)
Don Bacon, Nebraska (Metro Omaha)
Stephanie Bice, Oklahoma (Oklahoma City Metro)
Ken Buck, Colorado (Eastern Plains)
Larry Bucshon, Indiana (Terre Haute, Evansville)
Michael Burgess, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth exurbs)
Ken Calvert, California (Riverside, Palm Springs)
Mike Carey, Ohio (Columbus Metro, Western Ohio)
Buddy Carter, Georgia (Savannah, Costal Georgia)
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon (Bend, Willamette Valley)
Juan Ciscomani, Arizona (Tucson, Southeast Arizona)
Tom Cole, Oklahoma (Southwestern Oklahoma)
James Comer, Kentucky (Western Kentucky)
Dan Crenshaw, Texas (Suburban Houston)
John Curtis, Utah (Eastern Utah)
Anthony D’Esposito, New York (Long Island)
Monica De La Cruz, Texas (Rio Grande Valley, South Texas)
Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida (Miami-Dade County, Southwestern Florida)
Reps. Nikema Williams (Ga.) and Bobby Scott (Va.) voted against expelling the congressman, while Reps. Jonathan Jackson (Ill.) and Al Green (Texas) voted “present.”
Pete Buttigieg is reportedly “taking a serious look” at running for one of Michigan’s U.S. Senate seats in 2026.
“Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve,” a person close to the former Transportation Secretary told Axios. “He’s honored to be mentioned for this and he’s taking a serious look.”
The seat is currently held by Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, who was first elected to the upper chamber in 2014 after serving three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Peters announced his intention to retire at the end of his term on January 28, taking some political observers by surprise.
Jason Riddle, a Naval veteran from Keene, New Hampshire, was a Trump supporter and a frequent attendee of Trump campaign rallies during the 2020 campaign season. He attended the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, to see the president one last time before Trump left office following his 2020 defeat.
“I didn’t really believe the ‘big lie,’” Riddle told Vermont Public Radio of Trump’s contention that Democrats stole the 2020 election. But he noted that he “more than likely perpetuated” the conspiracy theory on social media.
A recovering alcoholic, Riddle said his drinking exacerbated his lurch to the right, prompting him to become more angry and radicalized.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) will continue her efforts to disrespect freshman Congresswoman Sarah McBride, the first transgender person elected to Congress, with a visit to McBride's congressional district where she will trumpet her anti-trans views.
McBride, Delaware's at-large congresswoman, was elected in November, taking over the seat once held by U.S. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.). Since then, she has been relentlessly attacked by Republicans over her gender identity.
Mace, a right-wing hardliner, has sought to cast herself as a crusader for women's rights by campaigning against transgender rights with what might be called pathological obsessiveness.
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