Rep. George Santos survives effort to expel him from the House. But he still faces an ethics report

By KEVIN FREKING and STEPHEN GROVES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. George Santos has easily survived a vote to expel him from the House as most Republicans opted to withhold punishment as both his criminal trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation proceed. The effort to kick Santos out of the House was led by his fellow New York Republicans, who are anxious to distance themselves from a colleague infamous for fabricating his life story and accused of stealing from donors, lying to Congress and receiving unemployment benefits he did not deserve. But the vast majority of Republicans and more than 30 Democrats have voted against expelling Santos. The final vote was 179 for expulsion and 213 against.