Scott Statement on Santos Expulsion Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement:

“The findings of the Investigative Subcommittee’s (ISC) report on Representative Santos highlights behavior that violates the public trust and demonstrates myriad ways he has disgraced himself and his office. He should have had the common decency to resign.

“In a previous vote to expel Mr. Santos, I made it clear that despite his disgraceful behavior, he had a right to due process. The Ethics Committee’s report to the full House concedes that it was not following the full process required by Committee and House Rules, which requires (1) the ISC to gather facts and bring formal charges through a Statement of Alleged Violations, (2) the Committee hold a fact-finding process, and (3) hold a sanctions hearing.

“The ISC presented substantial evidence of wrongdoing. The Committee then decided to waive the fact-finding process, because it would conflict with the Department of Justice’s criminal prosecution, and because Mr. Santos had not denied any of the allegations, despite being given ample opportunity to do so. The ISC did, however, make a recommendation for a sanction – a public condemnation. The full Committee then urged Members to read the report and ‘take any action they deemed appropriate and necessary,’ without indicating any reason to deviate from the ISC recommendation of a public condemnation.

“The final vote on the Floor was complicated by Mr. Santos’ totally incompetent response to the proceedings. According to the report, he failed to provide a meaningful response to the allegations, he publicly lied about his cooperation, and demonstrated ongoing disdain for his responsibility to comply with campaign and financial disclosure laws. There is also nothing in the record to suggest that he offered an alternative sanction, such as censure, instead of expulsion. Furthermore, the proceedings were complicated by the subjective reality that an overwhelming portion of the House, and in fact most of the public, just wanted him to leave, and only expulsion, rather than reprimand and censure, could achieve that objective. In the final analysis, we have to recognize that expelling a Member is one of the most serious and solemn actions Members can take and we have to recognize that precedent will be set. Unlike both prior cases of expulsion since the Civil War, Mr. Santos has not been convicted of a crime, and few of the allegations involve conduct that occurred during his service as a Member of Congress.  And unlike the other cases, after the Committee reviewed and considered the evidence, it did not make a recommendation to expel him. For these reasons, I voted no.”

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