Protesters fly massive George Santos balloon outside Capitol demanding his expulsion
Fox News
A group of progressive protesters popped a massive balloon outside the Capitol on Tuesday depicting scandal-ridden Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.
The 15-foot-tall balloon depicts Santos in a suit and in his bare feet with the words “full of lies” inscribed on a red tie.
The balloon was flown by members of MoveOn, a progressive nonprofit group that is calling for Santos to be expelled from Congress.
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About a dozen MoveOn members helped pop the balloon, with many of them also carrying red signs that read “Expel Santos” and “Expel Santos he’s full of lies.”
The protest came as a renewed effort to oust the embattled congressman is underway.
The House will likely vote in the coming days on a measure to expel Santos for his myriad of alleged misdeeds, including campaign finance abuses.
Santos has survived two other efforts to oust him from Congress in recent weeks but the third time may be the charm for lawmakers who believe Santos is unfit to serve.
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The House sidetracked two previous efforts to expel Santos – never directly casting a ballot on his worthiness to be a House member.
Those who opposed the plan to expel Santos weren’t necessarily defending him. They noted that a court has never convicted Santos of alleged wrongdoing.
Prior to Thanksgiving, the House Ethics Committee hadn’t completed its investigation into the conduct of Santos.
But the report has now been made public, finding Santos “used campaign funds for personal purposes” and “engaged in fraudulent conduct,” among other allegations.
Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution grants each body of Congress the ultimate authority over who is sworn in, rules of proceedings, and how to discipline and “with the Concurrence of two-thirds, expel a Member.”
The Santos balloon is similar in style to one that depicted former President Trump as a baby. That balloon was popped in London in 2019 and became a symbol of protesters’ disdain for the president as he visited British leaders.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.