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Embattled Republican lawmaker George Santos isn't going to be kicked out of Congress yet, thanks in part to 31 Democrats who voted against his expulsion on Wednesday .
One of those Democrats took to Reddit to explain why.
Rep. Jeff Jackson, a TikTok-savvy freshman lawmaker from North Carolina, wrote on Reddit that he didn't vote to spare Santos because he thinks Santos should remain in office.
It's all about the ethics committee, Jackson wrote.
In three weeks, the panel will wrap up its probe of Santos, who's been plagued by scandal ever since entering office last year and is currently facing 23 felony charges related to fraud, identity theft, and falsification of records.
Jackson said voting to oust Santos before the probe finished would set a precedent that could be used against other lawmakers in the future.
"The better precedent is to expel members only post-conviction or post-ethics investigation," Jackson wrote in a Reddit comment. "That way you get at least some due process - either internal or external - before expulsion. That's existing precedent, at least as I understand it. This vote was basically asking us to change precedent in a way that's unnecessary (we can wait three weeks) and could be really dangerous in the hands of a future Congress."
Jackson said Santos "should definitely resign - no question."
"And I'm fine on voting to kick him out," he added. "Just need to make sure we don't do that in a way that opens Pandora's box down the road."
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, sounded similar reasons when he explained his vote against Santos' expulsion.
"If and when Santos is convicted of these serious criminal offenses or ethics charges, I will certainly vote to expel," Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, told reporters, per Axios' Andrew Solender. "Until then, it is a very risky road to go down and we have to stick by due process and the rule of law, as obvious as the eventual result may seem."
As Raskin pointed out, only five House lawmakers have been expelled in the entire history of Congress, three of whom were kicked out due to their support of the Confederacy during the Civil War. The last of the five, Democratic Rep. James A. Traficant of Ohio, was expelled in 2002 after he was convicted on multiple criminal charges, including obstruction of justice and racketeering.
Lawmakers may not have to wait long to consider Santos' faith again. In an unusual statement, the normally private House Ethics Committee said it would announce its next action by November 17. The panel said it has interviewed roughly 40 witnesses, reviewed more than 170,000 pages of documents, and authorized 37 subpoenas in the Santos probe.
Wednesday's vote was notable as Republicans previously united under then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy's push to defer a judgment on Santos to the ethics panel. But after a superseding indictment, Santos' fellow New York Republican freshmen announced they had enough and would force the House to consider Santos' removal again. All of the New Yorkers, including Santos, are expected to face competitive reelection fights.
House Republicans hold a slim majority, which has led some to conclude that they cannot afford to lose Santos' vote since the Constitution only allows for House vacancies to be filled via a special election process.
