After being expelled from Congress on Friday, ex-Rep. George Santos (R-New York) remained defiant and said he would file ethics complaints against four former GOP colleagues and one Democrat, who voted to remove him.

Before the vote, Santos contended that his opponents were “bullying” him to force him out of Congress and vehemently denied the accusations outlined in the House Ethics Committee report, which denied any wrongdoing on his part.

He refused to resign and stated, “If I leave, they win. If I leave, the bullies take place. This is bullying.”

As his potential last action in Congress, Santos filed a resolution to expel fellow New Yorker, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-New York). 

The resolution is in response to an incident where Bowman allegedly pulled a fire alarm in a House office building. If the expulsion resolution is pursued, it would necessitate a vote within two legislative days.

Santos argued that his expulsion would break the House precedent and contended that Bowman, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for the fire alarm incident, deserves expulsion over him.

He said, “Let’s hold our own accountable but let’s make sure we deal with the precedent of the House.”

In a statement, Bowman dismissed Santos and called it “another meaningless stunt in his long history of cons, antics, and outright fraud.”

Despite his indictment as a freshman GOP member and the host of other challenges he faces, Santos opted for a general defense against the allegations outlined in the House Ethics Committee report, which accused that he utilized campaign funds for personal gain, including Botox treatments and luxury trips.

Santos chose not to directly dispute the specifics of the report. Instead, he expressed his intention to thoroughly examine and address it in the future and deemed it unproductive to scrutinize its contents in the present moment.

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Article by Baila Eve Zisman

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