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(CNN) House Democrats introduced a resolution Tuesday afternoon to expel Republican Rep. George Santos.
House Republicans can schedule a vote by Thursday because the motion, introduced by Democratic novice Rep. Robert Garcia, is privileged. It is not yet clear when exactly the vote will take place.
The move is expected to fail, but House Republicans are set to go on record over the indicted lawmakers, who are facing calls from within their party to resign. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has a narrow majority and faces a serious debt ceiling battle, so he cannot afford to lose a single Republican vote.
Republican officials say Republican leaders are debating what to do with the Santos ousting resolution. Because of the “privilege,” the House must act within two days.
If they were to vote on the bill, it would require a majority of the votes to pass, meaning McCarthy can’t afford to lose more than four Republican votes.
If the motion is rejected, the House must vote on the underlying resolution.
If the underlying resolution were to go straight to a vote, it would require a two-thirds majority of the House of Representatives to become law. McCarthy previously said he would not support the line until the House Ethics Committee completed its investigation. Republican leaders have until Thursday to make a decision.
Santos pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges, including fraud charges related to COVID-19 unemployment benefits, misappropriation of campaign funds, and misrepresentation about personal finances in a House disclosure report.
The resolution on page 1 read, “It is resolved to expel Rep. George Santos from the House of Representatives in accordance with Article I, Section 5, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, and hereby resolves to remove it from the House of Representatives.” It is written.
Garcia said in a statement that Santos “needs to be removed from the House of Representatives,” adding: “The news that federal prosecutors will file 13 criminal charges against George Santos is the final blow for Kevin McCarthy. It should have been, but he refuses to act.”
Contributed by CNN’s Devan Cole.
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