In the 2022 midterms, halfway through the “President” Biden dark age, Republicans flipped control of the U.S. House of Representatives, going from 212 seats against the Democrats’ 220 to a slim majority of 222-213. Among the newly elected Republican reps was George Santos, whom New Yorkers in Queens and Long Island chose to champion their interests in Congress. Santos was sworn in along with the rest of the 118th Congress on Jan. 3, 2023. On December 1 of that year, the Republican-controlled House voted 311–114 to expel him.

The journey to expelling Santos encompassed two previous failed attempts at expulsion, a federal indictment on multiple charges including fraud, money laundering, and related offenses, and a House Ethics Committee unanimous report finding “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking. So by the time the third expulsion resolution made the rounds, the tide had turned inexorably against Santos.

In Santos's case, the process required that he first be sworn in before he could be expelled. But a century and a half earlier, the House routinely excluded representatives-elect who had committed acts of insurrection or rebellion. And while this would once have seemed like a stretch, Democrats brought that argument back into fashion in recent years.

The result is a workable and effective roadmap for peeling off a few of the disturbingly unfit incoming freshman reps — and using their examples to label their entire party as corrupt in preparation for the 2028 general election.

Also note that, while expulsion of a sitting rep requires two-thirds of the House vote, exclusion of a representative-elect is a simple majority vote — and Republicans do, until January, hold the majority. It's certainly worth a shot, if for no other reason than to get the ball rolling.

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So, who can we exclude from entering the House in the first place? Contestant Number One, come on down!

She's LaMonica McIver, the feisty insurrectionist just overwhelmingly re-elected to her second term representing New Jersey's 10th District — in spite of being under indictment for brawling with federal agents outside an ICE facility. Let's take a quick trip down memory lane, back to May 9, 2025…

Yep, that's McIver in the red jacket, clobbering federal law enforcement with her meaty fists. Plenty of people immediately called for her expulsion from the House as soon as that video hit the interwebs. Less than a month later, the feds indicted her for "violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement."

As we all know from the hard work performed by the patriotic souls on the January 6 commission, interfering with federal officers is insurrection! And the 14th Amendment, Section 3 — the Disqualification Clause — blocks people like McIver from the levers of power:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.…

By all means, let's make a motion to refuse to seat this ogre in the 118th Congress. Change the locks on her office over the next recess. 

And now, let's meet Contestant Number Two! You know her. You love her. She's none other than Minnesota Representative-Elect Ilhan Omar — aka Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, aka Ilhan Omar Nur Said Elmi.

Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution lists the three simple qualifications for members of the House. They must: (1) be at least twenty-five years old, (2) have been a U.S. citizen for seven years, and (3) be an inhabitant of the state that elected them. It is currently in doubt that Omar/Elmi can satisfy that second requirement. Should an indictment drop or denaturalization process kick off before Jan. 3, 2027, change the locks and save the seat for an actual American.

And if these exclusion efforts fail, so what? Do Democrats ever take "No" for an answer? Of course not! The removal campaign simply proceeds from the exclude stage to the expel stage, à la the Santos model above. Remember, George wasn't convicted of anything yet, either, when they kicked him to the curb. It was enough for the pure-as-the-driven-snow House members that he was even credibly accused. 

McIver is no better at this stage, and Omar/Elmi may well be a justice-involved individual herself before long. Keep up the pressure and build momentum with each new resolution. 

And this brings us to Contestant Number Three, a lovely lady out of North Carolina — it's LaKesha Womack! Representative-elect Womack is celebrating the one-week anniversary of her 51.1% election victory in District N.C.-14 with a court appearance today to address the time she stole a car.

"Sentencing guidelines for the Class H felony the congresswoman-elect is facing range from four months to more than three years behind bars," the New York Post explains. 

If convicted, Womack would not automatically be disqualified from serving in Congress, but her participation could be limited.

Lawmakers sentenced to two or more years of prison are expected to avoid committee assignments and party leadership positions, according to House rules.

Could the House pull off a two-thirds majority vote to expel an accused car thief? They tossed Santos for simply being charged, so the precedent is there. If not, could the House at least expel a convicted car thief? One would hope so. 

Same goes for McIver and Omar/Elmi. Pass a resolution to expel them for indictments. If that fails, do it all over again if/when they are convicted. Each new wave for expulsion builds momentum, and the case for keeping these felons in the Capitol becomes indefensible at that point.

If the "No one is above the law" party refuses, spotlight Democrats' sickening corruption and hypocrisy. And keep pushing for expulsion constantly — Republicans would either win and get rid of these crooks or at least keep the story front and center. There is no downside.

And finally, let's make sure 2028 voters insist on higher-quality candidates than 2026 voters did.

Related: Meh. 2008 Was Worse.