Raising A Question of the Privileges of the House

Floor Speech

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Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I will vote against this expulsion Resolution as a matter of House precedent and Constitutional due process. To be clear, I find Representative George Santos' behavior to be disgraceful, and the fact-patterns in the federal indictment against him are serious and worthy of him resigning his seat. Yet, to date, Rep. Santos has not been criminally convicted of the offenses cited in the Resolution. The modern House has voted to expel two Members only when they were convicted of a felony in a court of law. At this moment, the status of the case does not support expulsion under House precedent or due process.

Additionally, I served as Chair of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (now named the House Ethics Committee) from 2009 to 2011, and I respect the internal House process. This process has the authority to recommend expulsion of a Member after an appropriate bipartisan investigation. Rep. Santos has not yet been found guilty of offenses in the ethics probe. The Ethics Committee has stated it will release its investigatory conclusions and recommendations in two weeks.

Once either the court or official committee processes conclude, I am prepared, based on known facts, to vote to expel the Congressman.

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