Rep. George Santos (Via Youtube)

By Christopher Kane | Washington Blade
Courtesy National LGBT Media Association

House Democrats led by U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) introduced a resolution Thursday to expel New York Republican Rep. George Santos from Congress – a move that was seen as symbolic, given House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) resistance to calls for the embattled congressman’s resignation.

The motion was backed by a number of other lawmakers who, like Garcia and Santos, are LGBTQ: U.S. Reps. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) Joining them were U.S. Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.).

According to Axios, Garcia had consulted with Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) ahead of the announcement.

“We cannot wait for him to be indicted or for an ethics investigation,” Garcia said, because neither would “address the things he has already admitted to lying about.”

Santos faces multiple law enforcement investigations over alleged financial crimes — from pilfering crowdsourced money for a homeless veteran’s service dog’s oncology surgery to working for a company that is accused of operating a Ponzi scheme to breaking campaign finance laws.

At the same time, the congressman has admitted to lying about a wide range of matters concerning his life, identity and career — from falsely claiming to have Jewish heritage to inventing degrees and jobs he never held to telling constituents he owned 13 properties when in reality he was living at his sister’s place.

Goldman said Santos is “not just a simple liar,” but a “conman who does not belong in Congress,” and therefore, “we are left with no choice but to put a resolution on the House floor to expel him from Congress.”

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