Case, Tokuda Split On Failed Vote To Oust US Rep. George Santos
Hawaii Congresswoman Jill Tokuda, a Democrat, said Santos, who faces nearly two dozen felony charges for fraud, theft and money laundering, makes a “mockery” of Congress.
Hawaii Congressman Ed Case was one of 31 Democrats who voted this week against a resolution to expel U.S. Rep. George Santos from the House.
Santos, a Republican from New York, has courted controversy ever since he was elected after it was revealed that he had embellished large swaths of his resume. In January, he was charged with a series of federal crimes, including fraud, theft and money laundering. He is also the subject of an ongoing congressional ethics investigation.
On Wednesday, the House pushed by Santos鈥 fellow Republicans from New York to kick him out of Congress, but failed to garner the two-thirds votes necessary to be successful.
Most Republicans voted against the expulsion measure, including new House Speaker Mike Johnson who has argued that Santos deserved his due process.
In a written statement to Civil Beat, Case said he felt that the move to expel Santos was overly politicized and “premature.”
鈥淭his was a difficult vote because all current indications are that Rep. Santos should not have been elected to Congress and should not continue to serve in Congress,” Case said. “However, since our founding we have followed the principle that election and retention of Representatives should be determined by their voters, and the extreme remedy of Congress preempting the voters and expelling a fellow Member should be reserved for extreme cases and only after full and fair due process.”
Case noted that only five members of the House have ever been expelled, three for fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War and two others after convictions of serious crimes.
Should Santos be convicted in court or found by the House Ethics Committee to warrant expulsion, Case said, “I will have no problem in voting to expel him.鈥
U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda joined the majority of House Democrats in pushing for Santos鈥 removal.
In a written statement, Tokuda said she voted for Santos鈥 removal because elected officials need to hold themselves to a higher standard when it comes to personal integrity and responsibility for their actions.
Santos that Tokuda described as serious offenses that erode public trust in government and distracts from the work that needs to be done in the House.
鈥淪ince being elected to office, Representative George Santos has made a mockery of the institution, admitting that he has fabricated large parts of his biography in order to manipulate voters in his district,鈥 Tokuda said. 鈥淗is conduct follows a pattern of deceitful and fraudulent behavior that is unbecoming of a member of Congress, which is why I voted to expel Representative Santos.鈥
Both Case and Tokuda voted to defeat a separate Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib over her criticisms of Israel and call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
