A freshly ousted George Santos had a parting message for reporters as he exited the Capitol Friday morning.
"I no longer have to answer a single question," Santos told the assembled media, noting he was no longer a member of Congress.
Sayonara, scribes!
Santos, who is facing federal charges for election fraud and campaign finance violations, may have appeared less encumbered following his dramatic exit, but he left a GOP conference in upheaval. Rank-and-file House Republicans were reportedly exasperated over their leadership's botched handling of the fateful vote, according to Politico.
Instead of leading on the matter, Speaker Mike Johnson and his team declined to whip the vote count or push a position, framing it as a vote of conscience. That non-position backfired, with the Republican conference splitting nearly in half on Santos' ejection and voting 105 in support to 112 against it. Democrats tipped the balance to seal Santos’ fate.
Just before the vote Friday morning, the speaker came out against expelling Santos. Johnson's last-minute maneuvering was a lose-lose situation, exposing his inability to bring the weight of the conference with him while enraging his colleagues on both sides of the debate.
More moderate-minded anti-Santos Republicans blasted GOP leadership for stooping toward the lowest common denominator.
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