112 House Republicans — and 2 Democrats — voted against expelling George Santos despite a damning House Ethics Committee report

Reps. Matt Gaetz and Clay Higgins were among the Republicans who spoke out in defense of Santos ahead of his expulsion vote.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Rep. George Santos of New York was finally expelled from Congress on Friday.More than two-thirds of the chamber voted to boot the scandal-plagued congressman.But many Republicans opposed the effort, arguing that it sets a bad precedent.

Rep. George Santos of New York was finally expelled from Congress on Friday by a 311-114 vote, with 2 lawmakers voting present.

But even as more than two-thirds of the chamber voted to kick Santos out, over 100 House Republicans voted against the measure, arguing that the vote set a bad precedent.

“I rise not to defend George Santos, whoever he is,” Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said on the House floor on Thursday,” but to defend the very precedent that my colleagues are willing to shatter.”

Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, meanwhile, argued that the ethics committee’s investigation “appears weaponized to me,” echoing conservative claims about the justice system writ large.

Santos is now the sixth person in American history to be expelled from the House of Representatives.

The two most recent House members to be expelled — Democratic Reps. Jim Traficant of Ohio and Ozzie Myers of Pennsylvania — were both convicted of crimes before they were expelled. The three lawmakers expelled before that had fought on behalf of the Confederacy.

Santos has not yet been convicted on any of the 23 federal charges he faces, including wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. He is set to face trial in September.

But Republican Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, argued during a Thursday floor speech that the process conducted by his committee in the lead-up to its damning report had provided Santos ample due process.

This story will be updated once a full tally of the votes becomes available.