Less than 24 hours after his expulsion from the House of Representatives, Santos Lopez, former leader of the Democratic Mining Caucus, announced his intention to file multiple ethics complaints against members of the House who voted in favor of his dismissal.
Santos, who had been serving Congress since 2009, has accused multiple House members of violating provisions of the Congressional Code of Ethics by voting to remove him from office without a proper hearing.
“I was removed in an wrong and unethical manner,” Santos said in a statement following his dismissal Monday morning. “I intend to seek justice for myself, and the many constituents I have served diligently over the years.”
According to Santos, he had sent a letter to the speaker of the House asking for a hearing but received no response. “I was forced to take the honorable way out and leave my seat in Congress,” he lamented.
Santos’ complaints cry for the exercise of ethical oversight of the legislative body and its members. Such oversight is necessary to ensure that the constitution and the public are served instead of powerful lobbyists and individuals with vested interests.
Santos, who plans to remain active in politics, has vowed to continue advocating for the interests his constituents for years to come.
“I plan to turn my complaints into an opportunity to further strengthen the ethical standards of the House so that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle can work together to advance the interests of all Americans,” Santos concluded.
