Jul. 25, 2023 By Ethan Marshall
More than two dozen constituents on Tuesday gathered outside of Congressman George Santos’ Douglaston office to call for his expulsion before Congress leaves for recess Friday. The protest was organized by Concerned Citizens of NY-03, alongside Empire State Voices.
While Democrats in Congress recently introduced a motion to censure Santos, Concerned Citizens of NY-03 founder and coordinator Jody Kass Finkel argued censuring him does not go far enough. He would still be serving as a lame duck in Congress, with the constituents of NY-03 still basically being without any representation, she said before accusing some Republican members of Congress of slow-walking the ethics report on Santos in order to keep him in power.
Concerned Citizens of NY-03 founder and coordinator Jody Kass Finkel calls for George Santos’ expulsion from Congress. Photo by Ethan Marshall
“[Censuring George Santos] gives Republicans cover for their lies and months of delay,” Kass Finkel said. “Everyone can then say that they did something, but it’s a fig leaf. There are just three days left in the Congressional session before the August recess and Congress does not come back to Washington until mid-September. We call on Democrats and Republicans to stick to your promises and expel George Santos this week. Until Santos is gone and there’s a special election, we lack representation in Congress.”
Several NY-03 residents expressed their frustration over the fact that nothing has yet been done by Congress to address Santos, including by the House Ethics Committee. Some have also expressed concern that censuring him could end up being worse than having nothing done because, while it presents a win-win scenario for both parties, it hurts the constituents of NY-03.
“It it clear that Santos has engaged in a series of deceitful acts, as he himself admitted on national TV,” said Marie Marsina, who resides in the 3rd Congressional Disctrict. “His admission alone should be sufficient evidence to conclude that Santos lacks integrity, is unethical and unfit to serve in Congress. The ethics committee must immediately release the delayed report and Congress needs to vote on the expulsion of George Santos before the August recess. NY-03 residents cannot afford to have this fraud in office any longer.”
Concerned Citizens of NY-03 is an ad-hoc nonpartisan group of residents from the district. The group was formed in January 2023 for the sole purpose of getting Santos out of office.
“The concept of representation is at the heart of our democratic system,” NY-03 resident Kim Keiserman said. “But for more than seven months, the 700,000 people of NY-03 have been without meaningful representation in Congress. Without a legitimately elected congressman, we are without an advocate for our interests and values and without a full voice in our democracy.”
Those who attended the protest called upon other local elected officials, like Congressmen Anthony D’Esposito, Mark Molinaro, Nick Lalota, Mike Lawler, Brandon Williams and Andrew Garbarino, to take the initiative on the immediate expulsion of Santos.
Empire State Voices is a nonprofit group that is dedicated to fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for everyday New Yorkers as well as holding representatives accountable when they fail to do the same. In addition to New York’s 3rd Congressional District, the group has a presence in NY-04, NY-19 and NY-22.