The GOP-led House took the extraordinary step last week of expelling former Rep. George Santos. The next question is whether the New York Republican might soon have some company.
Two months ago, Fox News raised a few eyebrows with a report that said House GOP members were “preparing a motion to expel” Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. The report didn’t include any on-the-record comments, and it wasn’t independently verified by other news organizations, but it raised the prospect of a provocative move against a member with a dwindling number of friends.
The chatter seemed to dissipate soon after, though USA Today published a related report overnight.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., continues to draw the ire of his Republican colleagues in the House weeks after he led the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the speakership, and some of his detractors have privately floated expelling him from Congress.
This reporting has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News.
As for what the Floridian’s intra-party opponents would use as a vehicle to move against him, there’s an obvious answer, which The New York Times highlighted in October:
Representative Matt Gaetz’s successful push to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy has cemented his status as one of the most reviled members of the House of Representatives — including among many of his fellow Republicans — and drawn attention to a long-running investigation by the House Ethics Committee into Mr. Gaetz’s conduct.
Longtime readers might recall that the Ethics Committee launched its probe into Gaetz two years ago, and by all accounts, the investigation appears to be near its end. It’s difficult to speculate as to what, if anything, the panel will conclude, but for those hoping to move against Gaetz, this offers an opportunity — especially given the fact that House members just used the Ethics Committee’s findings as the basis for Santos’ expulsion.
“There were a number of people who voted to…
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