WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 28: MoveOn launches a 15-foot-tall inflatable depicting Rep. George Santos (R-NY) ahead of a possible vote to expel Santos from Congress on Capitol Hill on November 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn)
By now we have all heard the news that George Santos was finally expelled from Congress on Friday.. This is a huge victory for the people of New York’s 3rd District, who are finally free from a lying legislator who cheated the system to line his own pockets, and for everyone who values integrity and democracy in this country.
And it’s no coincidence that last Tuesday, a few days before Congress voted to expel Santos, MoveOn flew a 15-foot inflatable George Santos balloon in front of the Capitol, complete with a tie that said “lots of lies.” The balloon’s goal was to demonstrate popular opposition to George Santos at a key, high-stakes moment and to focus national attention on Congress’s demand to immediately expel him. And that’s exactly what happened.
More than 100 media outlets mentioned MoveOn’s balloon in light of the House vote to expel George Santos. As reported The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Washingtonian, Popular magazine, and more, MoveOn took advantage of the spectacle surrounding Santos to further damage his reputation and raise the stakes around his expulsion. We’ve even reached over 50 broadcast and radio stations from Kansas to Santos’ own garden in New York, making it clear to the entire country that Santos has no place in Congress.
George Santos is only the sixth House member to be expelled from Congress, which required the approval of two-thirds of Congress. His expulsion came weeks after the House Ethics Committee released a report revealing the myriad laws he broke, including illegally using campaign donations for luxury vacations, spas , Botox, etc. The scathing report concluded that “Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his candidacy for the House for his own financial gain.”
Voters in Santos’ NY-03 district tirelessly mobilized, lobbied and advocated for Congress to hold Santos accountable for his lies and fraud. For nearly a year, they had no meaningful representation in Congress.
MoveOn became involved in the fight to oust Santos in early 2023, just weeks after news broke of lies he told about his religion, education and other personal information to get elected. In February, dozens of NY-03 MoveOn members and partners delivered a petition to its Long Island office, with 100,000 signatures demanding George Santos’ resignation or expulsion. And a few weeks later, MoveOn planned a “Drive Santos Out” constituent caravan with partners that crossed the district and received television, radio and daily coverage throughout the region to demonstrate constituent opposition.
Prior to this most recent vote, Congress had voted twice on whether to expel Santos from Congress and failed each time. Even this time, after being charged with 23 indictments and the damning report from the House Ethics Committee, GOP leaders still voted to keep Santos in Congress.
Santos evaded accountability for too long, enjoying the protection of his MAGA colleagues, who kept him in power so they could maintain their majority and power in Congress. But in the end, we won. And will we continue to win when we come together to demand justice and accountability for those who serve themselves rather than those they are supposed to represent.
