New York Congressman George Santos (R) issued another heated statement Thursday morning regarding the impending vote to consider his expulsion from Congress on Friday. Santos stated in his press conference in front of the Capitol that he refuses to resign his seat, calling the impending expulsion votes unprecedented. 

Santos, who remains defiant in the face of an ever-growing sentiment in Congress that would remove him in a historic expulsion vote, says that removing him from Congress would set a precedent that would be the "undoing of a lot of members of this body." 

“This will haunt them in the future where mere allegations are sufficient to have members removed from office when duly elected by their people in their respective states and districts,” Santos said.

Santos has been extremely critical of the House Ethics Committee since they released their report after a months-long investigation into Santos and his alleged criminal activity. 

“In the report, the Ethics Committee also stated that Santos was not cooperative with the investigation at all and that he purposefully evaded questioning and requests for information. They further allege that the information that Santos gave to the Committee “included material misstatements that further advanced falsehoods he made during his 2022 campaign.” The report also said that they did not take steps that would have led to a sanctions hearing by the Committee but instead urged the House Members to "take any action they deem appropriate and necessary" against Santos. 

The report further alleges that Santos received money from a group named "Redstone," which was an individual expenditure committee to "exclusively" support Santos's campaign to pay down personal credit card bills and, among other things, make purchases on the adult content site, "Only Fans."

If successful in their efforts to remove him. Santos would be the sixth member of Congress to be expelled from their office in the nation's history. Friday's vote was pushed forward by both Democratic and Republican members of the body earlier this week. If the resolution to expel Santos succeeds, it may well be the final chapter in the political career of Congressman George Santos (R-NY). Although his legal problems are far from over, he stands to fight the criminal case that is still pending against him relating to his alleged election fraud case. 

Congressman Michael Guest (R-MS), who chairs the Ethics Committee, followed up its report with a motion to expel Santos on Monday, noting that there was more than enough to warrant punishment and expulsion. When making the motion, Guest indicated that it was a "privileged motion," which marks it as urgent and requires immediate action. Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA) also made a motion to expel Santos just hours before Guest, although his motion was made to ensure action was taken if the Republicans failed to act on their own. 

The current temperature in the House shows a growing amount of support for the vote when it comes to the floor. The first two votes to expel Santos, oddly, had several Democrats voting against the expulsion resolutions. Especially on the Republican side of the House, more Republicans came around after the report from the Ethics Committee was dropped. 

“In modern times, it is House precedent that Representatives are only expelled after conviction of a felony,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said in a prepared statement. “In the matter involving Rep. Santos, the Ethics Committee has now found and documented conduct that is as serious as that of Members who on prior occasions have been expelled following felony convictions.”

Lofgren voted against expulsion earlier this month. She said precedents are important to follow, but “every precedent had a first time” and now she would vote to expel.

Santos, along with his co-defendant Nancy Marks (who has already pleaded guilty to several charges), was indicted on 23 federal charges for several violations, including wire fraud, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, and charging donors' credit cards without permission. If convicted of these charges, he faces up to 22 years in federal prison. In an earlier statement after the Ethics Committee released their report, Santos stated that he would not seek re-election to Congress, but was staying put until his term ended. However, he may not have a say in the matter, as he could get the boot on Friday.