George Santos Safe for Now as House Republicans Refer Effort to Expel Him to House Ethics Committee

Embattled Republican Congressman George Santos of New York could breathe a temporary sigh of relief after fellow Republicans directed the Democrats' effort to expel him to the House Ethics Committee.

Santos is safe for now as the House of Representatives referred the resolution proposed by California Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia to the House Ethics Committee, which means they would be the ones to decide Santos's fate as their investigation into the controversial congressman continues.

According to CBS News, Santos, who was one of the congressmen who voted for his expulsion resolution to be referred to the House Ethics Committee, released a statement saying that he looks forward to seeing the process "play out." He added, "I look forward to continuing to defend myself. Again, innocent until proven guilty."

The House Ethics Committee had already opened a formal probe into George Santos last March. It involves various investigations, from lying to Congress to various campaign finance violations, as well as other possible infractions by the embattled Republican.

The Effort to Expel George Santos Decided on Party Lines

The House of Representatives was forced into a vote over Santos's future in Congress. On Wednesday, Republicans had a dilemma on whether to stand with Santos and keep their already slim majority but get criticized for it, or expel Santos and narrow their already-slim majority even further.

It was expected that the Democrat-led resolution would not pass but force Republicans to make a difficult decision. However, the Associated Press pointed out that the GOP managed to sidestep the issue with the referral to the House Ethics Committee.

As for the vote for the referral, it was along party lines, 221-204, with Santos himself voting in favor of the referral alongside other Republicans.

Democrats were disappointed with the decision, which was made by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which was the third option that Republicans had in dealing with George Santos. The other two included outright having a vote to expel him, as well as the option of completely rejecting the proposal to expel him.

The vote was so partisan that even Santos's biggest critics within the Republican Party chose to go with the referral, including Republican Rep. Anthony D'Esposito of New York, who said that he found it regrettable that there were not enough votes to oust Santos.

"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," he said. He did say that the referral would "ensure a thorough and expedient investigation into this matter."

Democrats Argue With Each Other Over What To Do Next With George Santos

Just a few hours before Republicans quashed Garcia's effort to expel Santos, Politico reported that the Democrats had a tense closed-door Democratic caucus meeting.

While they all agreed that it would force some Republicans to go on record supporting a man charged with 13 felonies, more senior Democrats argued that it would set a bad precedent for years to come.

READ MORE: George Santos Denies Being a Drag Queen in Brazil

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: House Republicans stall effort to expel George Santos from Congress - MSNBC