George Santos breezes through House expulsion vote

The US House of Representatives has voted against expelling New York congressman George Santos, who is facing fraud charges. The vote fell short of the two-thirds majority required to remove a House member, with only 179 representatives in favor of expulsion. Despite facing 23 corruption charges, Santos denies any wrongdoing and refuses to step down. Although 24 fellow Republicans voted to expel him, more than 30 Democrats voted against it. Santos has faced allegations of dishonesty throughout his short tenure in Congress and is currently under investigation by the House ethics committee. Some argued for his removal, claiming that he deceived voters, while others believed he should only be expelled if found guilty in court. Democrats, in particular, were divided on the issue due to concerns about setting a precedent by expelling a lawmaker before a conviction or ethics committee report. Santos defended himself by stating that the loss of the presumption of innocence would be a dangerous precedent. Additionally, the House rejected a resolution to censure Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib over her criticism of Israel, with 23 Republicans joining Democrats in voting against it. The House now faces pressing issues, including a potential government shutdown and debates over foreign aid. While Republicans have been divided on providing aid to Ukraine, they have shown unity in support of Israel against Hamas.