Reschenthaler 1 of 2 Pa. lawmakers to vote against Santos expulsion

Western Pennsylvania lawmakers were split on the vote to expel George Santos from the U.S. House on Friday. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, was one of two from the Pennsylvania delegation to oppose expulsion.

Santos, a New York Republican, had come under fire for a string of controversies, including lying about having Jewish ancestry, a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree. This year, Santos was indicted on 23 charges related to duping donors, stealing from his campaign and lying to Congress.

The House voted 311-114 to expel Santos, clearing the two-thirds majority required for an expulsion vote. Friday’s vote followed an earlier unsuccessful attempt to boot Santos. But a House Ethics Committee report released in November accused Santos of breaking several federal laws, and that report appeared to sway enough House members.

Reschenthaler joined many in Republican leadership to vote against expulsion. House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced concerns about removing Santos, saying expulsion shouldn’t come before Santos is convicted of any crimes.

Reschenthaler is chief deputy whip in the House and voted in line with many other high-ranking Republican members. His office did not immediately respond to questions about his vote.

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-York, was the other Pennsylvania Republican to vote against expulsion.

Another Western Pennsylvania Republican, U.S. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, did not cast a vote Friday. Kelly’s spokesman, Matt Knoedler, said Kelly was unable to be in Washington, D.C., for the vote because of an urgent family matter. Knoedler said Kelly plans to return to Washington next week.

Only two Democrats nationwide voted against expulsion. Every Pennsylvania Democrat voted to expel Santos, including local U.S. Reps. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, and Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall.

Deluzio switched his vote from the previous unsuccessful attempt to expel Santos. Deluzio said the November ethics report motivated him to vote for expulsion.

“The House Ethics Committee report was crystal clear: George Santos broke the law and cannot be trusted to serve in Congress,” said Deluzio in a statement. “So, I solemnly joined colleagues from both parties today to expel Mr. Santos from the U.S. House of Representatives.”

Lee voted to expel Santos on both votes, and she said Santos was a “convenient distraction” for Republicans, noting the federal government still hasn’t been fully funded.

“I hope now that we’ve voted him out, Republicans will finally get to work or at least get out of the way so we can pass the fully funded budget they’ve been blocking for two months,” Lee said.