U. community reacts to George Santos' expulsion from Congress

Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. George Santos (R-3) after a report from the House Ethics Committee uncovered improper uses of campaign funds. 

Prior to the report's release, Santos avoided being expelled during a vote in November, as a two-thirds majority of the House was needed to pass the resolution. He is the first member of Congress to be expelled in more than 20 years.

Elizabeth Matto, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, said most Republican party leaders, including Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-4), voted not to expel Santos, and House leadership's hesitance possibly caused the earlier votes to fail.

Santos' expulsion is somewhat unprecedented, Matto said. She added that only five other members of the House have ever been expelled, with several of those occurring during the Civil War.

"If there are any efforts made to expel a member of Congress, there should be a clear and well-defined transparent process," she said. "In this case, there was a transparent, widely acknowledged process that took place, and (Santos' expulsion) was the result of that process."

While the ethics report was necessary and important, Santos' lies evading the public and the lack of representation of the people's views are key issues in this story, Matto said.

Santos' life prior to his election in November 2022 was detailed in a report by The New York Times, which revealed that he publicly lied about his education, work history and personal life.

"His constituents felt duped (and) felt as if they weren't given all the information they needed in order to make an informed vote," Matto said.

She also said that it is crucial for local media to research candidates and inform voters about people on the ballot.

"Members of Congress are there because we elect them," Matto said. "They're meant to represent us."

Students spoke to The Daily Targum about their thoughts on George Santos, as well as the viral memes about him and the possibility of a biographical film being made. 

Dan Furnari, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said he finds the situation humorous and is only familiar with George Santos from memes on social media.

"I do think it's kind of funny," he said. "I honestly don't know a whole lot about it … I (have) just seen the memes."

Yazmin Omana, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said she also found the Santos situation funny.

"I think the way that people are framing political issues online … on social media is very hilarious," she said.

She said memes online make the allegations against Santos seem much more laid-back and humorous. Omana also said her generation often has a unique approach to what would otherwise be considered serious matters.

"It's just our generation, probably, who must make everything into a meme (and) must make everything a joke," she said.

Emily Sparks, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said that while the memes add humor to a serious situation, they can sometimes be inappropriate.

"Turning everything into a meme is a little bit problematic, I think," Sparks said.

HBO Films is set to make a film about Santos based on a book written about him, according to Deadline. Sparks shared who she thought would be the best person to play Santos in the future production.

"I want RuPaul," she said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) has set February 13 as the date for a special election to fill Santos' seat in what Matto said will be a closely contested election.

"Democrats have a good chance of taking that seat, which is one of the reasons why there was real reticence among the Republican Party to vote George Santos out," Matto said. "There's a very, very slim majority that the Republican Party has right now, and they can't afford to lose another seat."

As for Santos himself, his political future seems bleak, she said.

"(Santos) has threatened to spill secrets … It sounds like there might even be a little bit of a vendetta he has against some members of Congress," Matto said. "I can't imagine that he will have a serious political career."