George Santos (left) and Jeff Jackson (right).
Drew Angerer, Tom Williams/Getty Images
George Santos will remain in office — with the help of some Democratic colleagues.
One of the 31 Democrats who voted to spare George Santos explained why.
Rep. Jeff Jackson wrote on Reddit that he’s worried kicking Santos out before an ethics probe finishes would set a dangerous precedent.
Embattled Republican lawmaker George Santos isn’t going to be kicked out of Congress yet, thanks in part to 31 Democrats who voted against his expulsion on Wednesday .
One of those Democrats took to Reddit to explain why.
Rep. Jeff Jackson, a TikTok-savvy freshman lawmaker from North Carolina, wrote on Reddit that he didn’t vote to spare Santos because he thinks Santos should remain in office.
It’s all about the ethics committee, Jackson wrote.
In three weeks, the panel will wrap up its probe of Santos, who’s been plagued by scandal ever since entering office last year and is currently facing 23 felony charges related to fraud, identity theft, and falsification of records.
Jackson said voting to oust Santos before the probe finished would set a precedent that could be used against other lawmakers in the future.
“The better precedent is to expel members only post-conviction or post-ethics investigation,” Jackson wrote in a Reddit comment. “That way you get at least some due process – either internal or external – before expulsion. That’s existing precedent, at least as I understand it. This vote was basically asking us to change precedent in a way that’s unnecessary (we can wait three weeks) and could be really dangerous in the hands of a future Congress.”
Jackson said Santos “should definitely resign – no question.”
“And I’m fine on voting to kick him out,” he added. “Just need to make sure we don’t do that in a way that opens Pandora’s box down the road.”
