On Tuesday night, as senators entered the House chamber before President Joe Biden delivered the State of the Union address, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) reportedly confronted fellow Republican George Santos, telling the New York representative “you don’t belong here” for lying to get elected to Congress.
Santos, who won election to the House in New York’s third district last year, reportedly fabricated his entire résumé, including a number of outlandish claims. He’s also under investigation over his past behavior, sometimes under the name Anthony Devolder, financial affairs, and dubious campaign finance filings. He has also been accused of sexual harassment by a former congressional aide.
Before Biden’s speech began, Santos and Romney were seen having a tense exchange. CNN reported that someone who witnessed the exchange said Romney told Santos: “You don’t belong here.” Santos continued speaking to Romney as the senator walked away.
After Biden’s speech, Romney was asked about the exchange.
“He shouldn’t be in Congress,” Romney later told reporters pointing to calls for ethics investigations. “They’re gonna go through the process and hopefully get him out. But he shouldn’t be there and if he had any shame at all, he wouldn’t be there.”
“He said he embellished his record,” Romney said. “Embellishing is saying you got an A when you got an A minus. Lying is saying you graduated a college you didn’t even attend.”
Santos said he went to Baruch College and New York University. He did not.
Earlier on Tuesday, a delegation of New Yorkers from Santos’s district staged a mini-rally outside his Washington office, calling for him to resign.
“He’s a grifter and now he’s grifting his way to Congress … Nobody trusts him,” Jody Kass Finkel, the group co-ordinator, said of Santos.
Watch Romney’s commentary below:
Raw video: Romney says Santos is a “sick puppy” who “shouldn’t be in Congress.”
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah): Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) “should be sitting in the back row and staying quiet.” pic.twitter.com/ovCwLvJfKb
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 8, 2023
