Who Got Kicked Out of Congress: The 15 Most Notable Expulsions

The Irony of Expulsion: Lawmakers Punished by the Very Body They Serve

Few punishments carry the weight of removal from the U.S. Congress. An elected representative can face criminal charges, ethical probes, or simple voter backlash. But expulsion is different. It requires a two-thirds vote within the chamber itself. The threshold is intentionally brutal. Guys, explore more in Guides And Explainers and who got kicked out of congress.

Since 1789, the House has expelled only 20 members. The Senate has expelled 15. Most cases involve treason, corruption, or insurrection. A handful involved personal misconduct or financial fraud. Each story reveals a fracture in the public trust.

The Civil War Era: The Largest Purge in Congressional History

The year 1861 brought chaos to Capitol Hill. Southern states seceded from the Union. Their representatives faced a stark choice: stay and support rebellion, or resign. Many chose to resign. But some refused.

The House expelled three members in quick succession. John Bullock Clark of Missouri, John William Reid of Missouri, and Henry Cornelius Burnett of Kentucky were all removed for supporting the Confederacy. The Senate followed suit. Thomas Semmes of Louisiana and Louis Wigfall of Texas joined the list. These were not quiet exits.

The 1980s: A New Wave of Criminal Convictions

The 1980s ushered in a different kind of scandal. Lawmakers were no longer expelled just for treason. Now, they faced criminal indictments and fraud charges. The body count rose.

Michael Myers of Pennsylvania became the first member expelled in 44 years. He had accepted bribes from a fictitious Arab oil company in the ABSCAM sting operation. The sting caught dozens of elected officials. Myers stood alone in facing the ultimate punishment. His removal sent a clear message.

Harrison A. Williams of New Jersey fell next. He was convicted in the Abscam scandal as well. The Senate expelled him in 1982. Williams tried to use the constitutional right against self-incrimination during his trial. The tactic backfired spectacularly. The chamber voted 68 to 32 to remove him. That fell just short of the two-thirds threshold required for conviction, but the ethics committee recommended expulsion. He resigned before the floor vote could finalize it, which is a nuance worth noting.

The Chisholm Expulsion: A Case of Bribery

William Jefferson Hale served several terms in the House from Ohio. His expulsion in 1870 marked a rare moment where bribery was the specific charge. Hale had offered a $1,000 bribe to secure a seat in Congress. The evidence was overwhelming.

His case set a precedent. The House realized that accepting bribes to get elected was a direct attack on the institution. The vote to expel was swift and unanimous. It showed that corruption could not be tolerated, even in the 19th century.

The Modern Era: Expulsion and Censure in Recent Memory

The 21st century brought its own share of scandals. However, expulsions became rarer. Censure became the preferred tool. The difference matters. Censure is a formal reprimand. Expulsion removes the member entirely.

1. 2010. He was censured, not expelled. The vote was 333 to
2. 79. The case was historic. Rangel had used his office to solicit donations for a center named after him. He also failed to pay taxes on a Dominican villa. The punishment was severe but fell short of removal.

Charles B. Rangel is often confused with other members. His case stands as a landmark in House discipline. Yet, he remained in office.

The January 6th Aftermath: Insurrection and Removal

The events of January 6, 2021 reshaped the conversation about who got kicked out of Congress permanently. The House expelled Paul Gosar from the committee proceedings temporarily. More significantly, the House expelled George Santos in late 2023.

1. 2023. The vote was 311 to
2. 114. He had been charged with 23 federal felonies. These included fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. Santos had fabricated a resume that read like fiction. He claimed to be a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting. He lied about his education and family background. The Republican-led House had no choice but to act.

The Rarity of Expulsion: Why Two-Thirds Is So Hard

Expulsion is not a simple majority vote. Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution allows each chamber to punish its members with two-thirds agreement. This is a deliberate safeguard. It prevents the majority party from using expulsion as a weapon against the opposition.

Imagine if a simple majority could oust a member. Partisan warfare would be constant. The threshold ensures that expulsion only happens with overwhelming, bipartisan support. In the Santos case, 16 Republicans voted with Democrats to remove him. That cross-party alignment made the expulsion possible.

The Role of the Ethics Committee

Before any member is kicked out, the Committee on Ethics (House) or the Select Committee on Ethics (Senate) investigates. They review allegations of misconduct. They can recommend lesser punishments, like fines or suspensions. Or they can recommend the harshest penalty: expulsion.

The process is slow. It can take months or years. During that time, the member may still hold office. The public often grows impatient. Voters may remove the member in the next election, making the expulsion moot. This dynamic explains why many cases end with resignation or electoral defeat rather than a congressional purge.

The Lasting Impact of Being Kicked Out

Who got kicked out of Congress and what happened afterward? The fates vary wildly. Some members returned to politics after their removal. Others faced prison time. Many simply vanished from public life.

James Traficant of Ohio was expelled in 2002 for corruption and bribery. He ran for his old seat as an independent while in federal prison. He actually won the election, but the House refused to seat him. He served his sentence and later ran again, eventually returning to the House. It is a rare anomaly.

George Santos faces a different fate. He faces 23 federal counts. His expulsion closed the chapter on his House career. The legal proceedings continue. His case serves as a modern warning to anyone who treats Congress as a personal piggy bank.

The history of expulsions is a mirror reflecting American political values. Each case involved a breach of public trust so severe that the offender's own colleagues could no longer tolerate their presence. The rarity of these actions makes them powerful. They remind us that power is borrowed, not owned.