Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is facing another Republican-led push for his expulsion — but his ouster would do nothing to stem GOP chaos in Congress, according to Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas).
“Santos isn’t necessarily the one that is the catalyst for their chaos, but he definitely is a symptom and an outcome of who the Republican Party as a whole has become,” the first-term lawmaker told MSNBC’s Katie Phang on Sunday.
“As far as I’m concerned, the chaos starts at the top. It starts with Donald Trump.”
She pointed to the election of “MAGA Mike” Johnson as House speaker, arguing that the Louisiana Republican is “doing everything he can to make sure that he continues to show loyalty” to the former president, who faces 91 felony counts across four indictments.
“So I would say that it actually starts with Donald Trump. It doesn’t start with Santos. He’s the he’s the low man on the totem pole,” Crockett added.
House Ethics Committee chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) filed a resolution on Friday to expel Santos from Congress, after the panel found in a report that he illegally spent campaign funds on personal services and products like Botox treatments and designer items.
Santos is also the subject of a 23-count federal indictment for conspiracy, credit card fraud and other alleged crimes.
He survived another Republican-initiated vote for his removal earlier this month, before the ethics committee report was released.
Crockett’s not the first to call out Republican double standards following the Santos development. Jen Psaki, former Biden White House press secretary-turned-MSNBC host, on Sunday said it showed that “Republicans are willing to draw lines, just not when it comes to Donald Trump.”
The news about Santos came at the end of a tumultuous week in general for Republicans in Congress that involved name-calling, a physical altercation and other schoolyard-like drama.
Watch Crockett’s commentary below on MSNBC.
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