On the recordNovember 30, 2023
I do not believe that the Long Island crew is acting in bad faith, just exceedingly bad judgment. Here is why. Since the beginning of this Congress, there are only two ways you get expelled: You get convicted of a crime, or you participated in the Civil War. Neither apply to George Santos. I rise not to defend George Santos, whoever he is, but to defend the very precedent that my colleagues are willing to shatter. Let's speak to due process. Mr. Santos hasn't been convicted of anything, but we haven't even moved to expel the people who have. Mr. Bowman pled guilty to a misdemeanor for his little fire alarm stunt weeks ago. While the Ethics Committee is marching to throw George Santos out of Congress, they take no action as to someone who actually pled guilty to a crime? What is that all about? Then, there is all this talk about, well, he could have testified to the Ethics Committee, and he didn't, so he had his due process. That belies the fact that he faces a trial. Had Mr. Santos testified before the Ethics Committee, an argument could have been made that he waived any of his rights that he would have had at trial, that any American would enjoy. It was a procedural double bind that shouldn't be held against Mr. Santos as some sort of adverse inference. Let's also talk about this precedent. The fact pattern as to Mr. Santos is remarkably similar to the fact pattern of former Representative Duncan Hunter.…
