Protesters fly massive George Santos balloon outside Capitol, demanding he be expelled


A group of progressive protesters popped a massive balloon outside the Capitol on Tuesday depicting scandal-ridden Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.

The 15-foot-tall balloon depicts Santos in a suit and in his bare feet with the words “full of lies” inscribed on a red tie.

The balloon was flown by members of MoveOn, a progressive nonprofit group that is calling for Santos to be expelled from Congress.

THIRD TIME THE CHARM: WILL GEORGE SANTOS SURVIVE THE LATEST MOVE TO OUST HIM FROM THE HOUSE?

a giant balloon depicting Congressman George Santos flying outside the U.S .Capitol building

Demonstrators fly a massive balloon outside the Capitol on Tuesday depicting scandal-ridden Rep. George Santos. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn)

About a dozen MoveOn members helped pop the balloon, with many of them also carrying red signs that read “Expel Santos” and “Expel Santos he’s full of lies.”

The protest came as a renewed effort to oust the embattled congressman is underway.

The House will likely vote in the coming days on a measure to expel Santos for his myriad of alleged misdeeds, including campaign finance abuses.

Santos has survived two other efforts to oust him from Congress in recent weeks but the third time may be the charm for lawmakers who believe Santos is unfit to serve.

George Santos outside the Capitol

The House will likely vote in the coming days on a measure to expel Santos for his myriad of alleged misdeeds, including campaign finance abuses. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE DEMOCRATS’ GAMBIT TO EXPEL SANTOS – OR EMBARRASS THE GOP

The House sidetracked two previous efforts to expel Santos – never directly casting a ballot on his worthiness to be a House member. 

Those who opposed the plan to expel Santos weren’t necessarily defending him. They noted that a court has never convicted Santos of alleged wrongdoing. 

A woman holds a sign in the air reading "expel Santos" while a balloon depicting the Congressman flies in the background in front of the U.S. Capitol

A group of progressive demonstrators popped the balloon outside the Capitol on Tuesday in calling for Santos to be expelled from Congress. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn)

Prior to Thanksgiving, the House Ethics Committee hadn’t completed its investigation into the conduct of Santos.

But the report has now been made public, finding Santos “used campaign funds for personal purposes” and “engaged in fraudulent conduct,” among other allegations.

A group of protesters with a giant balloon depicting Congressman George Santos stand for a photograph outside the U.S. Capitol building

A group of protesters stand with a giant balloon depicting Congressman George Santos outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. The group is calling for Santos to be expelled from Congress. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution grants each body of Congress the ultimate authority over who is sworn in, rules of proceedings, and how to discipline and “with the Concurrence of two-thirds, expel a Member.” 

The Santos balloon is similar in style to one that depicted former President Trump as a baby. That balloon was popped in London in 2019 and became a symbol of protesters’ disdain for the president as he visited British leaders.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.



Source link