The 35-year-old New York lawmaker has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of crimes including laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses, illegally receiving unemployment benefits and charging donors’ credit cards without their consent.
The former treasurer for Santos’ campaign pleaded guilty on Oct. 5 to a conspiracy charge for inflating fundraising numbers.
“I must warn my colleagues that voting for expulsion at this point would circumvent the judicial system’s right to due process that I’m entitled to and desanctify the long-held premise that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Santos said ahead of the vote.
Expulsion of a lawmaker requires a vote by two-thirds of the chamber. Only five people have been expelled from the House in the country’s history, three for fighting against the U.S. government in the Civil War.
They will not expel him even if he is found guilty because they absolutely need his vote. He will be forced to vote however they want because if he doesn’t he will lose his job and the money and protection his job provides.