George Santos might be the third member of Congress expelled since the 19th century

It looks like Congress may have the two-thirds vote necessary to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from the House of Representatives — making him only the sixth member of the House of Representatives in over 200 years to be expelled from office. We’ll know soon. On November 28, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) introduced a privileged motion on the House floor to expel Santos. Because the motion is privileged, the Republicans have to bring it to the floor within two legislative days.

The reasons for Santos’ fall are well known — it started out with exaggerations about his background so outrageous that Santos was catapulted into regular fodder for late night comedians and then became the object of media and legislative investigators. And what they found was outrageous behavior in many different areas.

But it was the recent release of a 56-page Ethics Committee Report that provided the serious blow. Committee members charged that Santos “deceived his donors, knowingly filed false campaign finance statements, and used his campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, including rent, trips, luxury items, cosmetic treatments like Botox and a subscription to the adult content site OnlyFans.” The long list of infractions seems to have been the last straw for some members of his party and expulsion now looks within reach.

If he is sent packing, it will be remarkable not only for the fact that he was one of just half a dozen representatives to be expelled from the House but that Republicans, with their extraordinarily thin five-vote majority, will take the drastic step of actually losing one-fifth of their margin.

Who else has been expelled?

The most recent was James Traficant, a member from Ohio removed in 2002 following his conviction on ten felony charges of bribery, tax evasion, and racketeering, among others. Despite being removed 420 to 1 by his colleagues, Traficant mounted two campaigns for reelection — from prison no less — as an Independent but was ultimately defeated. Traficant’s departure didn’t do much to change the power dynamics in the House. Democrats were in the minority, and he had not been a very loyal Democratic vote — voting with the Republicans to make Illinois Rep. Dennis Hastert speaker of the House.

Twenty-two years prior, Democratic Representative Michael Myers of Pennsylvania was removed by a vote of 376-30 following a conviction over his involvement in a corruption scheme that ensnared several members of the House and a senator. In an FBI sting operation, Myers was caught taking money in a deal meant to guarantee asylum for a made-up sheik. Myers was ultimately the only implicated member who opted not to resign, and thus his colleagues relieved him of his duties. Once again, the expulsion did not change the power dynamic in the House, where Democrats held a large majority.

Finally, the other three members were removed due to disloyalty to the Union during the Civil War. Missouri Representatives John Clark and John Reid and Kentucky Representative Henry Burnett were Democrats who supported the Confederacy and were cast out by their colleagues in 1861 for this treasonous act. Reid, strangely enough, had resigned months before, but was expelled anyway. However, their departure made little difference to the House power dynamics. Republicans held a substantial majority over the Democrats, having taken control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency in the 1860 elections. Compared to the Civil War that broke out the next year, their expulsion was but a footnote in history.

Santos is unusual compared to several of the others who were expelled because he has not been convicted of any crimes. He has been the object of numerous media stories and the butt end of jokes. Right now, he is indicted but has not gotten the chance in a legal setting to defend himself.

It is for that reason that Santos survived one attempt at expulsion. Nearly all of his fellow Republicans were hesitant to shrink their slim majority. But in light of the devastating and quite detailed House Ethics Committee report, that hesitancy seems to have changed. Despite the negative political consequences, enough Republicans may join Democrats in booting Santos from the House. It is an act of political principle that we should applaud. Even in a body that has, throughout history, had its share of embarrassing members, Santos stands out for his blatant dishonesty and lack of personal integrity, which is why enough Republicans may expel him despite the harm it inflicts on their own party.