Byron Donalds expresses concern over Santos expulsion: ‘Goes against the principles of our institutions’

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said the House vote to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) without a conviction “goes against the principles of our institutions.”

Speaking to reporters on the steps of Capitol Hill following the Friday morning vote, Donalds said the rare move to oust Santos from his position as a member of the House “sets a dangerous precedent” and “changes the very nature upon which this institution is supposed to function.”

GEORGE SANTOS EXPELLED FROM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

“We’ve been lectured politically for the last four years, a lot of it in the press, about our institutions — what happened here today goes against the principles of our institutions,” Donalds said. When asked if he believed GOP leadership could have done more, Donalds said “yes,” but he did not expand on the topic.

Declining to answer questions after the vote, Santos echoed calls from some GOP members claiming the move sets a dangerous precedent.

“The House voted — that’s their vote,” Santos said per CNN. “They just set a new dangerous precedent for themselves.”

The House opted to expel Santos in a final vote of 311-114. One hundred-five Republicans sided with nearly all Democrats — two Democrats voted no, and two voted present. Santos survived two earlier efforts to expel him from Congress but faltered the third time after a blistering House Ethics Committee investigation described “overwhelming evidence” in a 56-page report that he engaged in “fraud” and other misconduct.

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“It’s wrong what he was accused of doing, but he was accused; he hasn’t even had his day in court,” Donalds told CNN’s Manu Raju outside the Capitol. “We are a nation of laws; we are not a nation of men. And if this institution is gonna now ignore the rule of law because of political preferences and political decisions, it is gonna be damning, not just for the House, but it’s gonna be damning for the United States.”

Santos is now the sixth lawmaker to be kicked out of Congress and will immediately be stripped of his House position. A special election will be held to fill New York’s 3rd Congressional District seat.