(CNN) A House Democrat introduced a resolution Tuesday afternoon to expel Republican Rep. George Santos.
The proposal by first-term Democratic congressman Robert Garcia is privileged, so the House GOP may have until Thursday to schedule the vote. It is not yet clear when exactly the vote will take place.
The move is expected to fail but would put House Republicans on the record over the indicted congressman facing calls to resign from within his own party. Faced with a slim majority and a critical debt ceiling battle, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy can ill afford to lose a single GOP vote.
GOP leaders are discussing how to handle the decision to expel Santos, according to a Republican source. As it is “privileged”, Parliament must act within two days.
If they vote to file it, it would require a majority to succeed, meaning McCarthy can’t afford to lose more than four GOP votes.
If the motion failed, Parliament would have to vote on the underlying resolution.
If they go directly to a vote on the underlying resolution, then it would require a two-thirds vote of the House to succeed. McCarthy has previously signaled that he would not go that route until the House Ethics Committee completes its investigation. GOP leaders have until Thursday to decide.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges, including charges of fraud related to Covid-19 unemployment benefits, misuse of campaign funds and lying about his personal finances in housing disclosure reports.
The one-page resolution reads: “Resolved, That Representative George Santos, pursuant to Article I, Section 5, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, be and he is hereby expelled 4 from the House of Representatives.”
In a statement, Garcia said Santos “must be expelled by the House,” adding, “news that federal prosecutors are filing 13 indictments against George Santos should have been the last straw for Kevin McCarthy, but he refuses to act.”
CNN’s Devan Cole contributed.
