House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said during a press conference on Wednesday that he is not comfortable expelling controversial Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress because he does not want to establish a precedent that could be used by both parties to expel other members in the future.
After being asked by a reporter about the possible fate of Santos, Johnson said that he had just come from a Republican Conference meeting where there were opinions shared on both sides of the issue.
“I said that the Republican Party is the rule of law team, and we are,” he began. “We believe in the rule of law. There are people of good faith who make an argument, both pro and con” regarding an expulsion resolution for Santos.
“There are people who say you have to uphold the rule of law and allow for someone to be convicted in a criminal court before this tough penalty would exacted” on Santos, Johnson continued. “That’s been the precedent so far.”
But, he countered, “There are others who say upholding the rule of law requires us to take this step now because some of the things he’s alleged to have done…are infractions against the House itself. And so what we’ve said as a leadership team is that we’re gonna allow people to vote their conscience.”
“I think that’s the only appropriate thing we can do,” Johnson went on. “I trust people will make that decision thoughtfully and in good faith.”
Then he added his own personal view: “I personally have real reservations about doing this. I’m concerned about a precedent that may be set for that. Everybody’s working through that and we’ll see how they’ll vote.”
The House is expected to vote on the expulsion on Thursday. The Justice Department has charged Santos with 23 counts, including conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, wire fraud, making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission, and falsifying records, among other charges.
Mike Johnson on the resolution to expel George Santos:
"I personally have real reservations about doing this. I'm concerned about a precedent that may be set for that." pic.twitter.com/YQKIAkHkjy
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) November 29, 2023
Over the past weekend, meanwhile, Johnson met with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate over the weekend in what some see as a positive development ahead of the 2024 election.
“The meeting, which took place at a fundraiser for Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., marked the first time the two have met in person since Johnson was elected on Oct. 25,” ABC News reported, noting that the get-together was first reported by Punchbowl News. Earlier this month, during an interview with CNBC, Johnson said he was “all in for President Trump” in 2024.
ABC News adds: “The meeting between the highest elected Republican in the nation and the leading GOP presidential contender comes as Johnson is adjusting to his speakership after a fractious, weekslong battle among Republicans following McCarthy’s ouster in early October. As speaker, Johnson helped pass a short-term government funding bill earlier this month that didn’t include steep spending cuts — similar to the kind of legislation that led GOP hard-liners to remove McCarthy — and Johnson faces the same challenges running the House, though he is seen as more economically and socially conservative. Johnson’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago further underscores Trump’s continued sway with conservatives, even as he faces an unprecedented four criminal cases, all of which he denies.”
Earlier this month, Johnson stuck by a promise he made to release nearly all of the video surveillance footage from the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.
“When I ran for Speaker, I promised to make accessible to the American people the 44,000 hours of video from Capitol Hill security taken on January 6, 2021. Truth and transparency are critical. Today, we will begin immediately posting video on a public website and move as quickly as possible to add to the website nearly all of the footage, more than 40,000 hours,” Johnson noted in an X post.
“In the meantime, a public viewing room will ensure that every citizen can view every minute of the videos uncensored,” he continued.
The faces of private citizens will be blurred to ensure that no one is “targeted for retaliation of any kind,” his office noted, per the UK’s Daily Mail. He added that about 5 percent of the footage would not be released to protect sensitive security information.
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