The United States House of Representatives voted on Friday, December 1st to expel New York Republican representative Geroge Santos, citing alleged financial crimes and campaign lies. This decision marks a significant moment in U.S. political history, as Santos is only the third member to be removed from the House since the Civil War in 1865. 

Santos, who was elected to represent New York’s 3rd congressional district, faced intense scrutiny shortly after his election victory. Investigations revealed a pattern of fabrications about his background, education, and professional experience. Notably, Santos claimed to be Jewish, a claim later found to be false, and alleged that his mother’s death was tied to the 9/11 attacks, which was also disproved (Times.com).

Following the news of these lies being uncovered, Santos blamed the political landscape in the state of New York: “I have been a terrible liar.” He added, “This wasn’t about tricking people. This was about getting accepted by the party here locally. This stems more deeply into the political apparatus and the political culture of New York state (CNBC.com).” 

The controversy surrounding Santos further intensified when allegations of financial fraud were brought forward. Santos has been charged with multiple counts of crimes including identity theft, submitting false campaign finance reports, and stealing unemployment money. (CNBC.com). 

The motion to dismiss Santos was brought forth after an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, a bipartisan committee whose purpose is to debate moral questions. The committee found substantial evidence supporting claims of misappropriation of campaign funds and deliberate misrepresentation of personal and professional background during his campaign. 

This news comes just weeks after the removal of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. This lowers the number of House Republicans to 221, with 213 Democrats.

In light of these events, the question of whether there should be greater background checks on political candidates has arisen. When asked about this, AP United States Government teacher Mr. Vander Molen expressed a different viewpoint. Mr. Vander Molen advocated against background checks. He believes that it is the responsibility of the voters to do their due diligence and make informed decisions. 

Similarly, when asked about the situation, Ramapo Junior Andrew Glushanok said: “I think we [as voters] need to reconsider how we evaluate candidates.”

Many questions have yet to be answered. As of December 11th, Santos is in plea deal talks with prosecutors. (CNBC.com).