Congressman Cleaver Votes to Expel George Santos from House of Representatives

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) voted in favor of a resolution to expel Representative George Santos (R-NY) from the House of Representatives, which was passed with a two-thirds majority, making Rep. Santos the sixth individual ever expelled from the People’s House. Last month, Rep. Cleaver voted against expelling Congressman Santos, citing concerns about a lack of due process and the potential for such a precedent being abused in the future. However, following the release of a scathing final report from the House Ethics Committee, detailing a litany of evidence of illicit activity, Congressman Cleaver supported Santos’ removal from the House Chamber.

“It brings me no joy or pleasure in voting for the expulsion of only the sixth individual to ever be removed from the House of Representatives; Not because I support Mr. Santos or his disgraceful conduct, which I believe includes lies and crimes to obtain his seat in the most prestigious legislative body the world has ever known, but because I fear that a future Congress may use the action today to abuse this precedent in the future,” said Congressman Cleaver. “However, because his actions were so egregious, as identified by the House Ethics Committee’s final report, and the removal of any future lawmaker necessitates overwhelming bipartisan support, I felt compelled to support the expulsion resolution. It is my hope that today’s vote will remove this ridiculous distraction and allow Republicans and Democrats to focus on delivering bipartisan solutions that will tangibly benefit the constituents we were sent here to represent.”

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.