In a move to take action against Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), a group of New York Republicans has pushed to force a vote on his expulsion from Congress, according to a report by The Hill. This marks the second effort this year to remove the first-term lawmaker, whose federal charges continue to build.

Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.) introduced the measure as a privileged resolution on Thursday afternoon, triggering the responsibility of leadership to address the legislation within two legislative days. However, as the House adjourned and won't reconvene until Wednesday, the resolution's fate remains uncertain.

Under the privileged resolution, leadership can either motion to table it or refer it to a committee, both requiring majority support. If the legislation makes it to the floor for a vote, it would need the backing of two-thirds of the chamber to be successful.

The decision regarding the expulsion resolution falls on newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who recently assumed the role following former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) removal. Speaker Johnson will face an early test in his new position as he is forced to tackle the Santos expulsion issue in his first week.

Reports suggest that Rep. D'Esposito informed Speaker Johnson of his intention to bring the privileged resolution to the floor earlier on Thursday. According to Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Speaker Johnson advised, "Do what's right and do what's right for New York."

The motive behind the New York Republicans' decision to seek expulsion at this time stems from a guilty plea made by Santos's former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks. Marks admitted to conspiring with the then-candidate to fraudulently inflate campaign finance reports, leading to a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this month. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Shortly after Marks's guilty plea, Santos was hit with ten additional criminal charges, which brought the total number of charges against him to 23. The allegations against him include inflating campaign finance reports and unauthorized charges on donors' credit cards. In May, Santos was indicted on 13 federal charges, accusing him of misleading donors and misrepresenting his finances to the public and government agencies.

Santos is slated to be arraigned for the second set of charges on Friday.

Rep. LaLota highlighted the importance of Marks's guilty plea, stating, "Certainly, the indictment is persuasive, but more importantly, the plea by his treasurer confirming everything that we knew." He continued, "We knew a lot beforehand, he admitted to a lot of things in the D'Esposito resolution, but the treasurer's plea I think is confirmation of a criminal conspiracy to defraud voters, donors, the FEC, and everybody in between."

This recent move by New York Republicans follows a prior attempt to expel Santos from office. In May, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) forced a vote on expulsion, but the House redirected the resolution to the Ethics Committee, causing criticism as the committee was already investigating the congressman.

In May, the New York Republicans favored referring the resolution to the Ethics Committee, choosing to defer to the legal process as it unfolded. However, in light of Marks's guilty plea, they now believe it is time to remove Santos from Congress.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) emphasized the significance of the guilty plea, stating, "The difference between this and what the Democrats had brought is that you have a guilty plea in court by his treasurer, confirming significant details and obviously a superseding indictment based on that conviction and guilty plea by his treasurer."

While it remains uncertain if a motion to table the resolution will be successful, Rep. LaLota expressed that the New York Republicans do not plan to support such a motion. He affirmed, "We plan on voting on a resolution to expel George Santos."

The three-page expulsion resolution highlights the lies and misrepresentations attributed to Santos, along with listing his federal charges and the involvement of Nancy Marks.

If Santos is indeed expelled, it would further diminish the House GOP's majority, which could potentially impact their ability to advance legislative initiatives. In the event of a vacancy, a special election would be organized to fill the seat.