Anthony D'Esposito and Nick LaLota voted to refer Santos to the Ethics Committee rather than expel him from Congress. Here's why they did so.

Republican Congressmen Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota have been outspoken about the need to expel their Long Island colleague, George Santos, from the House of Representatives.

In early January, D’Esposito, whose district includes the South Shore of Nassau County, was the first House Republican to call for Santos’ resignation, at a time when most Republicans had been silent on the matter.

LaLota, whose district encompasses the North Shore of Suffolk County, then joined D’Esposito in the call for Santos’ expulsion.

But they have now decided to refer him to the House Ethics Committee instead.

Last week, House Democrats offered a resolution to expel Santos, but when the measure reached the floor, the House voted, 221-204, to refer the matter to the committee.

LaLota and D’Esposito agreed that referring Santos to the Ethics Committee is a much better way of handling the matter because the votes needed for expulsion are lacking.

“I was one of the first members of this body to call on the subject of this resolution to resign,” D’Esposito said prior to the vote. “And I am personally in favor of this individual’s expulsion from this house. Regrettably, however, I’m in the understanding that we currently do not have the two-thirds support from members in this house to expel that individual.

“I believe that this individual is a stain on this institution, a stain on the state of New York, a stain on Long Island and a stain on the beloved Nassau County,” D’Esposito added.

LaLota openly backed D’Esposito after the vote had passed, and said that the Ethics Committee should have Santos gone within 60 days.

“While I would have preferred there to be enough votes to expel the sociopath scam artist, Congressman D’Esposito has spearheaded the next best option — to refer this matter to the ethics committee, where we expect a result within 60 days for the terrible liar to be gone, by resignation or expulsion, before August recess,” LaLota said in a statement.

Andrew Garbarino, their other Long Island colleague, who represents the South Shore of Suffolk, has been silent on the subject of Santos because he sits on the ethics committee and must abide by its policy. But Garbarino expressed support for LaLota and D’Esposito, saying that sending it to the committee is the right move politically.

“No previous vote for expulsion of a member from the house has occurred without an accompanying report from the ethics committee or another select committee set up to review said expulsion resolution,” Garbarino said in a statement. “The Ethics Committee is best positioned to investigate this matter. I’m reserving all other judgment until the investigation is complete.”

Occasionally referred to as the “Long Island Three,” D’Esposito, LaLota, and Garbarino have actively refused to work with Santos on anything. When Santos introduced a bill — the SALT Relief Act — that would raise the state and local tax cap to $50,000, the trio would not co-sponsor it. Instead, they introduced their own relief bill, the SALT Deductibility Act of 2023, because SALT relief has been a cornerstone of Garbarino’s tenure.

Santos has pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal charges, including fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements, and has reportedly said that he would not resign.