Rep. Dusty Johnson ignores Republican leadership, votes to expel the disgraced Rep. George Santos
Rep. Dusty Johnson did the right thing.
Johnson voted to expel disgraced — and disgraceful — New York Congressman George Santos from the House of Representatives Friday morning. The vote was 311 voting to remove the first-term Republican, who was revealed to have lied about his education, work experience, family history and just about everything else, while 114 members voted to allow him to remain in Congress. Two cowardly congressmen voted “present,” a feeble way to sidestep an issue.
Democrats led the way, as 206 of them voted to remove Santos, while just two voted to allow him to remain. Democratic Reps. Al Green of Texas and Jonathan Jackson cast the “present” votes.
Three Democrats, including Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is mounting a quixotic presidential run, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and, surprisingly, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, did not vote.
Another non-voter was former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, one of five Republicans who did not cast a ballot to cast out the loathsome Santos.
At the last second Friday, Republican leaders asked their members not to expel Santos. They are worried about protecting their thin margin in the House, which they hold by just seven seats, 217-210.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he would support Santos, although he said other Republicans were free to “vote their conscience.” Johnson, who is not burdened with one, was free to back the first-term Republican.
A special election to replace Santos will be held next year, likely in February. President Biden carried the Long Island district in 2020, but it has been leaning Republican recently, so it should be a competitive race.
On Nov. 1, Johnson voted against expelling Santos, saying the process was not completed yet. That effort failed 213-179, with 19 members voting present and 22 not voting. Johnson was one of 182 Republicans who voted against the expulsion that time. They made it clear, however, that they were waiting for a better opportunity to act once the House Committee on Ethics released its report, which detailed the many reasons that Santos should be removed from office.
On Friday, the House of Representatives — and Dusty — did the right thing, and tossed out Santos, who is just the sixth congressman and first Republican to be expelled.
The others include the ridiculously wigged Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, removed in 2002 after he was convicted of 10 federal counts, including bribery, racketeering and fraud. Michael Myers, D-Pennsylvania, was expelled in 1980 after he was convicted of bribery in the notorious Abscam sting investigation that made South Dakota Sen. Larry Pressler famous for rejecting an offered “bribe” from undercover FBI agents.
Myers did not learn his lesson, as he was convicted in 2022 of taking fees from clients to use as bribes to tamper with election results. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison last year.
In 1861, three Democrats — John Clark and John Reid, both from Missouri, and Henry Burnett of Kentucky were expelled for serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
Santos didn’t try to rip the nation asunder. He was removed for stealing money to pay for Botox, leisure trips, online porn and other less-than-official reasons.
He leaves as he served, as a pathetic, whining shell of a man and public official. Santos vowed to expose the sins of his former colleagues, so he should pop up on the news in the future. That is hardly surprising, since Republicans allowed this snake into their midst, they should have realized someday, he would strike them with his poisonous mouth.
We will hear his name again when criminal charges are filed. Santos faces up to 23 felony counts over his lawless and reckless spree from unknown to famous to notorious. He may well end up in prison, where his congressional background and tastes for the finer things in life won’t matter much at all.
Santos will soon be assigned to the dustbin of history. It can’t occur fast enough.
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On a sad side note, we express our condolences to Sen. Pressler, whose wife Harriet passed away this week at the age of 81. It was unexpected, according to media reports.
Larry and Harriet Pressler married in 1982, while he was in his first term in the U.S. Senate. Pressler, a Republican, represented South Dakota in Congress for 22 years, serving two terms in the House and three in the Senate.
He said his wife was a trusted aide who essentially served as his campaign manager. He left Congress in 1997 and has taught at many universities, while twice attempting a return to public life, losing bids for the House in 2002 and the Senate, as an independent, in 2014.
Larry, who is 81 and has battled health issues, is a thoughtful, kind man who served his state and country as a soldier in Vietnam, as a member of the State Department and in the halls of Congress.
We wish him peace and warm memories of a long, happy marriage at this difficult time.
Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states and contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets.
