The aforementioned resolution was introduced yesterday by Congressman Robert Garcia, and it is a landmark one, which means that conservative leaders must schedule a vote on Thursday.
However, Republicans will try to avoid a resolution on the bill itself, choosing to refer it to the House Ethics Committee, which has been investigating Santos since the beginning of March, according to a report from NBC News.
The speaker of that legislature, Kevin McCarthy, emphasized that he preferred the court-given approach to the issue rather than triggering the process of expelling Santos from Congress.
For his part, Garcia described the maneuver as an “escape” and added that what was required was a real expulsion exercise.
Rep. Dan Goldman, a former federal prosecutor, has suggested that the ethics committee take no action on the decision and instead refer it to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which last week indicted Santos on 13 federal counts.
The plaintiffs will ask the committee to pause and let their trial come first. That’s the nature of how these things work.”
Last week, Santos pleaded not guilty in a Long Island, New York, court, after being charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Representatives, according to the Ministry of Justice.
The Republican, who earlier admitted he lied about his resume, called the process against him a “witch hunt” and ruled out resigning from office.
According to analysts, McCarthy’s support for Santos is due to the Republicans’ need to hold onto a slim majority in the House of Representatives, for which they cannot afford to lose even one of their seats.
RO / IF
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