Raising A Question of the Privileges of the House
Floor Speech
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Mr. LaLOTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and fellow Long Islander, Mr. D'Esposito, for yielding me time to speak for my fellow New York colleagues who are joining us this afternoon.
New Yorkers from Queens and Nassau Counties deserve better than George Santos--a total fraud and serial liar--representing them in Congress. Each day that Mr. Santos is allowed to remain a Member of Congress, my New York neighbors to the west are being denied real representation in these Halls. That is because their Representative is incapable of getting a bill passed, a project funded, or even sitting on a committee because he lacks the minimum amount of trust necessary of a Member of Congress.
Today, the best way to support my fellow New Yorkers and overcome George Santos' fraud is to expel George Santos from the House of Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Santos has said expelling him before he is formally charged and found guilty would create new precedent in this body, one that could have negative consequences for generations.
Respectfully, Mr. Speaker, I disagree. The consequences and precedents for not expelling him for his lies and fraud have the potential to do far more damage to this institution.
I would submit today that we have an opportunity to set a new standard, a new precedent, that if a candidate for Congress makes his entire life up in order to defraud voters and donors and subsequently those voters reasonably rely on that candidate's lies to elect him or her, that we, the House of Representatives, will exercise the authority given to us in the Constitution to expel that Member.
George Santos' lies are more widespread than even the most untrustworthy politicians, and these lies were necessary to get him elected.
George Santos didn't just lie about his family's business dealings, like President Biden did, Santos lied about everything about his professional background, from his family's wealth to working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.
Santos committed this fraud, this election fraud, to create an entirely new persona that voters and donors could support. Santos' treasurer, his conspirator, recently pled guilty to their criminal conspiracy, which included faking a six-figure loan to the campaign to induce more contributions.
George Santos didn't just lie about attending a school on full scholarship or finishing in the top half of his class, like President Biden did, rather, Santos went much further.
To defraud voters and to swindle donors out of millions, George Santos lied about his entire education; not that he graduated in a certain part of his class, not that he received a specific award. Those lies are reserved for other slimy politicians and are worthy of different kinds of rebuke, less than expulsion.
George Santos lied about attending and graduating from Baruch College, meanwhile, he never attended Baruch. He never took one class. The fabulist even made up an entire fictional story about how he was a star on the school's volleyball team.
George Santos thinks that we are fools, Mr. Speaker. George Santos didn't just lie about being at Ground Zero on the day after September 11, like President Biden did, George Santos went much further, saying that his mother was in the south tower on 9/11 and escaped only to later die from a 9/11-related illness.
Santos lied about his association with 9/11 to win over Long Island families, families of cops and firefighters and other innocent people who died on 9/11, and whose hearts were ripped out that fateful day.
He did it as part of a broader scheme to defraud voters and donors to get him elected to Congress.
To further defraud voters and swindle donors out of millions, George Santos even lied about being Jewish. Like his lies about his association with 9/11, Santos lied about being Jewish as part of a calculated attempt to win over voters in the district that Santos is attempting to trick who has a strong Jewish population.
George Santos says the decision of whether he should remain in Congress should be left up to the people of New York's Third District.
I would argue that these New Yorkers were robbed of this opportunity when they were duped into voting for a fictitious candidate to represent them in Congress.
George Santos has stated himself that he lied about several parts of his life, including his education, and his mother dying as a result of 9/11. Today, 78 percent of his constituents support his expulsion from Congress.
George Santos also falsely claims that his expulsion is barred by the Constitution's 5th and 14th Amendment's due process clauses. Yet, the due process clauses do not apply to House proceedings such as expulsions. Moreover, the Constitution more broadly affords the accused the knowledge of the accusation against him, the opportunity to be heard, the ability to confront his or her accuser, and to be afforded a speedy trial.
Mr. Speaker, as of today, each of those conditions has been met. Nothing in the Constitution gives George Santos the right to endlessly stall and to abuse his office to seek a more preferable conviction or a plea deal.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Santos' behavior has shown a consistent disregard for the principles of bipartisanship, servant leadership, good governance, and civil discourse. He has shown no interest in being a serious Member of this Chamber or to do the people's work.
A Member of Congress should be committed to the betterment of the Nation and willing to compromise for the greater good. His actions and statements have demonstrated a concerning lack of this commitment.
Mr. Speaker, let's get the people of New York's Third District some decent representation. Let's raise the bar here in the House of Representatives. Let's hold one of our own accountable. Let's expel George Santos.
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