A group of New York state Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives is seeking to expel GOP Rep. George Santos following the filing of new federal charges against him. The charges, which include identity theft, credit card fraud, and falsifying campaign finance reports, were unsealed on Tuesday by the Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Santos had previously pleaded not guilty to charges from an initial indictment earlier this year. The new charges allege that Santos and his ex-campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, submitted false financial reports to the Federal Election Commission in order to inflate the campaign's fundraising numbers and qualify for certain benefits and support from Republican Party leaders.

The indictment also accuses Santos of using individuals' personal credit card information to make unauthorized charges in support of his political campaign. The victims of these charges were donors to the campaign who had provided their personal information when contributing funds to Santos. In one instance, Santos allegedly charged $15,800 to a contributor's credit card, well over the limit permitted by federal campaign laws. Prosecutors have stated that the donor did not authorize or know about these charges.

Santos has vehemently denied the new charges and maintains his innocence. He addressed the media on Wednesday, expressing his frustration and claiming that he did not know who the donors in question are. Santos stated that he had people on retainer to prevent such misconduct and that he would investigate his vendors and contractors in order to recoup misused funds at a later date. He admitted to a "systematic dereliction of duty" within his campaign and blamed his ex-treasurer, Nancy Marks, who recently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud.

The New York Republicans seeking to expel Santos, including Reps. Anthony D'Esposito, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Nick Langworthy, and Brandon Williams, announced their intention to introduce an expulsion resolution. However, it is unclear if the new charges will sway Republicans who previously opposed expelling Santos in May. Although Santos has fallen out of favor with many New York Republican officials, several GOP members of Congress from the state did not sign onto the expulsion attempt.

The lack of a permanent House speaker also complicates the expulsion resolution. While Republicans selected Rep. Steve Scalise as their nominee for speaker in a closed-door meeting, his narrow victory over Rep. Jim Jordan suggests that he may face difficulty securing a majority in the full House. The resolution to expel Santos would require support from two-thirds of House members, or 290 votes.

Democrats have repeatedly called for Santos' expulsion, and over a dozen Republicans have joined them in this demand. However, it remains to be seen when the motion will be voted on, given the ongoing process of selecting a new speaker. Santos expressed his defiance in the face of these challenges, stating, "If they want to be judge, jury, and arbitrator of the whole goddamn thing, let them do it." Representative LaLota acknowledged that the group does not yet have the required two-thirds support in the House but expressed confidence that the resolution will gain traction.