Rep. George Santos will not seek re-election after release of House Ethics report

>>> 15 PAST THE HOUR. >>> 15 PAST THE HOUR. BREAKING NEWS, REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN GEORGE SANTOS IS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT HE WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION. THIS COMES AFTER THE HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE RELEASED A REPORT ON THEIR INVESTIGATION INTO HIM. RYAN NOBLES JOINS US NOW FROM CAPITOL HILL. RYAN, WHAT DO WE KNOW? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, JOSE THIS IS PRETTY SHOCKING NEWS FROM GEORGE SANTOS. AND IT REALLY DOES EXPLAIN JUST HOW DAMMING THIS REPORT RELEASED BY THE HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE WHICH IS COMPRISED OF AN EQUAL NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS AND PUSHED OUT UNANIMOUSLY BY THE

COMMITTEE AND JUST GOES INTO GREAT DETAIL ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AND ISSUES THEY BELIEVE THAT GEORGE SANTOS WAS INVOLVED IN, MANY OF WHICH THEY BELIEVE ARE NOT BECOMING OF A MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS. AND WE KNOW THAT ALREADY IN THE WORKS THERE ARE PLANS TO INTRODUCE NEW RESOLUTIONS TO EXPEL HIM FROM OFFICE. BUT THE REASON THAT THIS IS SURPRISING, THAT GEORGE SANTOS DECIDED THAT HE WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION, IS THAT HE HAS BEEN SO INSISTENT AT EVERY STAGE OF THIS INVESTIGATION THAT HE WASN’T GOING ANYWHERE. AND HE WAS EVEN INSISTENT HE WOULD RUN FOR

RE-ELECTION DESPITE ALL THE ISSUES SURROUNDING HIM. AND IN A STATEMENT HE JUST PUT OUT A FEW MINUTES AGO, HE SAID I WILL CONTINUE ON IN

MY MISSION TO SERVE MY CONSTITUENTS UP UNTIL THE TIME I AM ALLOWED, WHICH IS INTERESTING, BECAUSE THAT IS ALLUDING TO THE FACT HE MAY BE PUSHED OUT BY HIS CONSTITUENTS, HOWEVER I WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION FOR A SECOND TERM IN 2024 AS MY FAMILY DESERVES BETTER THAN TO BE UNDER THE GUN FROM THE PRESS ALL OF THE TIME. NOW, I DO WANT TO SHOW YOU A BIT OF THIS REPORT AND

WHY IT IS SO DAMNING AND WHY IT LIKELY LED TO GEORGE SANTOS BEING FORCED TO DECIDE HE WASN’T GOING TO STEP DOWN FROM RE-ELECTION. THIS WAS THE QUOTE FROM THE COMMITTEE, THEY SAY THE COMMITTEE CONCURS WITH THE ISC’S DETERMINATION THAT REPRESENTATIVE SANTOS’ CONDUCT WARRANTS PUBLIC CONDEMNATION, IS BENEATH THE DIGNITY OF THE OFFICE AND HAS BROUGHT SEVERE DISCREDIT UPON THE HOUSE. THAT IS UNEQUIVOCAL. THEY DON’T LEAVE ANY ROOM FOR ANY KIND OF WIGGLE ROOM FOR GEORGE SANTOS TO TRY TO EXPLAIN HIS WAY OUT OF THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION. THE BIG ISSUE THAT MANY REPUBLICANS WHO HAVE —

TO A CERTAIN DEGREE PROTECTED HIM FROM BEING REMOVED FROM HIS OFFICE HAS BEEN THAT HE DESERVES DUE PROCESS, DESERVES THE RIGHT TO BE INVESTIGATED, AND ADJUDICATED, AMONG ALL THESE WILD ALLEGATIONS THAT WERE SET UPON HIM. I THINK YOU’RE NOW GOING TO START TO SEE SOME OF THEM BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THAT DUE PROCESS, THAT AN EQUAL NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS HAVE LOOKED INTO HIS BACKGROUND AND DECIDED HE IS NOT FIT FOR OFFICE. THE BIG QUESTION, NOW, JOSE, NOW THAT WE KNOW HE’S NOT GOING TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION, HOW LONG CAN HE HOLD ON TO

THIS HOUSE SEAT AND COULD AN EXPULSION PROCESS BEGIN AS SOON AS MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RETURN AFTER THE THANKSGIVING BREAK? JOSE? >> SO, RYAN, WHAT WOULD THAT EXPULSION PROCESS LOOK LIKE? WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? >> SO, ESSENTIALLY, A RESOLUTION HAS TO BE INTRODUCED. AND WE KNOW THERE ARE SEVERAL OF THESE RESOLUTIONS ALREADY IN THE WORKS. FOR INSTANCE, WE KNOW NOW THAT THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE MICHAEL GUEST, WHO IS ESSENTIALLY THE PERSON THAT DIRECTED THIS INVESTIGATION IS AMONG THOSE THAT PLANNED TO FILE THIS RESOLUTION. THAT RESOLUTION WOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE FLOOR, IT WOULD

OUTLINE ALL THE REASONS BEHIND WHY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WOULD VOTE TO EXPEL SANTOS FROM OFFICE AND THEN IT WOULD BE A VOTE ON THE FLOOR. AND DEPENDING ON THE RESULTS OF THAT VOTE, IF IT IS ENOUGH VOTES TO EXPEL HIM, HE WOULD BE KICKED OUT OF CONGRESS. AND IT WOULD HAPPEN PRETTY SWIFTLY AND PRETTY IMMEDIATELY. SO THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT IT COULD HAPPEN BY THE END OF THE YEAR. NOW, THERE IS CONSIDERATIONS HERE FOR REPUBLICANS GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE MARGINS ARE SO TIGHT BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. IT IS

ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THE FORMER SPEAKER KEVIN McCARTHY WAS RELUCTANT TO KICK SANTOS OUT OF OFFICE BECAUSE IT IS NOT AS IF THE WAY THE REPLACEMENT PROCESS WORKS IN THE HOUSE, IT IS NOT SOMETHING APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR AND IN NEW YORK, IF THAT WERE THE CASE, THE GOVERNOR IS A DEMOCRAT, IT WOULD REQUIRE A SPECIAL ELECTION. SO, AND THIS IS A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE DISTRICT, IT IS ONE THAT UP UNTIL SANTOS WON WAS HELD BY A DEMOCRAT, SO THE CHANCES THAT ONCE SANTOS LEFT OFFICE THAT HE WOULD BE REPLACED BY ANOTHER REPUBLICAN ARE VERY

SLIM. SO, THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU’VE SEEN REPUBLICANS TO A CERTAIN EXTENT TRY AND JUST PUSH THIS PROCESS OFF. IT HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT NOW, JOSE, WHERE THE INFORMATION IS TOO DAMNING, HE’S SUBJECT TO A WIDE RANGE OF CRIMINAL INDICTMENTS AS A RESULT OF THIS, AND NOW YOU HAVE THIS BIPARTISAN