Rep. George Santos survives expulsion vote

George Santos, the freshman Republican infamous for his lies about his background and the numerous legal charges against him, survived a vote of expulsion brought against him by fellow New York Republicans. Only 179 Democrats and Republicans voted "Yea" to oust him from the House, far short of the two-thirds majority needed for the measure to pass.

Before the vote, Santos addressed the House and condemned the movement to expel him, saying that the government needed to focus on addressing important issues such as cost of living and global crises, and that ousting him before he had been declared guilty in a court of law went against the country's legal values. The representative, who is currently facing a 23-count indictment for wire-fraud and other serious charges, claimed that the only people who could remove him from office were the residents of New York's Third Congressional District.

"The loss of the presumption of innocence establishes a dangerous precedent that threatens the very foundation of our legal system, and we risk losing the trust the American people have placed in us by passing judgement without due process" Santos argued before the vote was held. "I stand firmly in my innocence and my passion to represent the people of New York's Third District, if the voters would have me."