Indicted Republican George Santos's career in the US House of Representatives came to an end on Friday as fellow lawmakers voted to expel him. He was expelled over fraud, corruption charges and accusations of misspending campaign money.
The House voted 311-114 to remove Santos. Since November election last year, Santos, 35, was caught in controversy.
The crisis deepened when he had admitted to fabricating some of his biography. The federal prosecutors accuses him of laundering campaign funds and defrauding donors, while Santos had pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Earlier in November too Santos faced an explusion but he survived due to lack of majority in the House to oust him. As many as 182 Republicans and 31 Democrats voted against his removal on the grounds of his criminal case.
However, a bipartisan congressional investigation last month found that he charged almost $4,000 for spa treatments, including Botox, to his congressional campaign account. He also spent more than $4,000 of campaign money at the luxury retail store Hermes and made "smaller purchases" from OnlyFans, an online platform known for sexual content, reported Reuters.
The investigation report had been a blow to him with many fellow Republicans withdrawing their support.
Santos is only the sixth member to be expelled from the House.
During the November 2022 election campaign, Santos had said attended New York University, worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. The media outlets had reported that his claims were false, which he admitted later on .
He also falsely claimed Jewish heritage and told voters his grandparents had fled the Nazis during World War Two.
Democratic New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has 10 days to call a special election for the seat. The election must take place 70 to 80 days from that proclamation. Before Santos' win in 2022, the district was represented by Democrat Tom Suozzi. Reportedly, Suozzi and 19 other candidates, including eight Republicans, have filed to run for Santos' seat.
