Santos says he will stand for expulsion vote after talking options with House Speaker Johnson

WASHINGTON − Embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., said his conversation with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was "positive" when the two lawmakers spoke after a House Ethics Committee report concluded there is "substantial evidence" Santos violated federal criminal laws.

Johnson told reporters Monday he spoke with Santos during Thanksgiving break about his options as the New York Republican could face a third expulsion vote in Congress this week. 

“I’ve spoken to Congressman Santos at some length over the holiday and talked with him about his options,” Johnson told reporters at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. “But we’ll have to see. It’s not yet determined, but we’ll be talking about that when we get back tomorrow.”

Santos already survived two expulsion attempts. However, House Ethics Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., introduced an expulsion resolution against Santos in November that appears to be gaining traction among members who previously did not support removing Santos from the House.

Santos said on X, formerly Twitter, that his conversation with Johnson was positive and that he told Johnson he’d be standing for the expulsion vote.

“Expel me and set the precedent so we can see who the judge, jury and executioners in Congress are,” Santos wrote. “The American people deserve to know!”

Santos started his first term mired in scandal, admitting much of his personal and professional resume was fabricated. The lies ranged from being a volleyball star at a college he never attended to alleged fraud for which he is facing 23 federal charges.

After nearly a year full of revelations, accusations and challenges, Santos said he expects his first term to be his last.

"I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor," Santos said Friday morning during an X Spaces, formerly Twitter Spaces, hosted by Monica Matthews. "I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good."

Contributing: Ken Tran, Candy Woodall