Democrats are pressuring Republicans to vote to oust Santos this week

House Democrats moved Tuesday to force a vote this week on whether to remove Representative George Santos of New York from office, a strategic effort to prevent Republican leaders from blocking any bid to of driving their own leaders from office, go slowly.

The Democratic effort, led by Reps. Robert Garcia of California and Dan Goldman of New York, comes shortly after another resolution was introduced this month by the Republican chairman of the House Ethics Committee following the scathing report that found “substantial evidence” that Mr. Santos, a Republican, had broken the law.

When the ethics chair, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, introduced his resolution on Nov. 17, he did so without including a timeline. Since then, Republicans have debated whether to protect or oust Santos, recognizing that either path could come at a major cost.

But the Democrats’ resolution is privileged, meaning Speaker Mike Johnson must act on it within two days. Republicans could still come to the table or delay the vote, moves that would each require support from a House majority. However, these maneuvers do not rule out a vote on Mr. Guest’s resolution if the Republican leadership decides to act on its own party’s motion to reduce the appearance of Democrats forcing Republicans’ hand.

“We waited eleven months for the Republicans to act. I have no confidence whatsoever that they will act the way they say they want to,” Mr. Goldman told reporters outside the chamber, adding that anyone who could not see that Mr. Santos did not belong in Congress was a “purely political animal was. .”

“He has clearly committed enormous crimes. He lied to his constituents, his entire life is a fabrication,” Mr. Garcia said. “He himself is prepared to be deported.”

Speaker Mike Johnson declined to answer questions about Santos’ future as he entered the chamber Tuesday afternoon.

Mr. Santos has survived two deportation attempts after numerous reports in The New York Times and other publications exposed his fabricated life story and federal prosecutors charged him with 23 crimes. Removing Mr. Santos from the House of Representatives would require a two-thirds supermajority.

But since the Ethics Commission’s report was released, some members of both parties who had previously opposed Mr. Santos’ expulsion said their minds had changed.

House Democrats have tried to use Mr. Santos as a political weapon since he took office in January, amid a whirlwind of questions about his background and his personal and campaign finances. The Democrats’ campaign arm is targeting a number of first-term Republican representatives in New York, who flipped their districts and helped their party win a narrow majority in Congress.

These Republicans were among Santos’ most outspoken critics, and were among the first to join Democrats in calling for his resignation.

Earlier this month, they led the second attempt to expel Mr. Santos, arguing that whatever precedent was set would be in the chamber’s best interests.

“We are going to set a new precedent today – that we are against lying fraudsters coming to the House of Representatives,” Representative Anthony D’Esposito announced on the House floor.

There is evidence that some of these arguments have held up.

In an interview with a radio station in Mississippi, Mr. Guest said he believed removal was appropriate for Mr. Santos given the violations the commission had found.

But he too was already hampered by the impact of Mr Santos’ expulsion on the party’s majority. “Other New Yorkers think we have a chance to keep that seat if he is impeached,” he said.

“I think that would really help,” the interviewer said.

“No doubt,” Mr. Guest agreed.

Mr. Santos has pledged to remain in office as long as he is allowed to. He called the ethics report a “smear” but declined to provide details or context that would support his claims.

By Monday afternoon, however, it appeared that Mr. Santos may have changed his position.

Mr. Johnson told reporters in Florida that he had spoken at length with Mr. Santos “about his options,” comments that suggested Mr. Santos could spare the House of Representatives a difficult vote by resigning.

But Mr. Santos, who has repeatedly said he would not resign, clarified in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that he had no intention of resigning.

“Put me away and set a precedent so we can see who the judge, jury and executioners are in Congress,” he wrote. “The American people deserve to know!”

Ahead of the upcoming vote, the liberal group MoveOn on Tuesday brought Mr. Santos’ 15-foot inflatable balloon to the National Mall, just blocks from the Capitol.

The balloon, part of an effort to pressure lawmakers to expel Mr. Santos, wore his trademark thick-rimmed glasses and a red tie emblazoned with the phrase “full of lies.”