Topline
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) verbally attacked Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) on the House floor Tuesday night at the State of the Union address because he believed the lawmaker should have been “staying quiet” rather than out shaking hands, as Santos comes under fire for lies about his background and potential campaign finance violations that are now under investigation.
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) waits for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address during a joint … [+]
Key Facts
Romney told Santos he “shouldn’t have been there” during a tense exchange when the two came in contact on the House floor, the senator confirmed to reporters.
The Utah senator told reporters he “didn’t hear anything” if Santos responded to him, though Santos claimed to Semafor he responded, “Go tell that to the 142K that voted for me” and Romney then called him “an ass.”
Romney told reporters afterwards that Santos is “a sick puppy, he shouldn’t be there,” explaining that he “didn’t expect that he’d be there, trying to shake hands with every senator and the president of the United States.”
“He was right there in the aisle, shaking hands with everyone,” Romney said when asked why he’d go so far as to confront Santos directly, and argued that given the House ethics investigation into Santos, “he should be sitting in the back row and staying quiet, instead of parading in front of the president and people coming into the room.”
Santos went after Romney on Twitter after the exchange, writing, “Hey @MittRomney just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT!”
Crucial Quote
“He says he embellished his record … embellishing is saying you got an A when you got an A minus. Lying is when you say you graduated from a college you didn’t even attend,” Romney told reporters. “He shouldn’t be in Congress, and 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.”
What To Watch For
House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) confirmed Tuesday that Santos is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which could be a route that leads to him being booted from Congress. It’s unclear what the scope of the investigation is, though lawmakers had called for Santos to face investigation for his “sparse and perplexing” financial disclosure reports. McCarthy has previously stood by Santos but said he will be removed from Congress if the ethics committee finds he has broken the law. The New York lawmaker is also facing several other investigations, including from federal, state, local and international law enforcement.
Key Background
Santos has come under fire since it first emerged in mid-December that the freshman lawmaker had fabricated much of his resume, including his past work experience and educational history. A slew of other lies he’s told have emerged since then, ranging from claims about his mother dying in the September 11 attacks to him telling donors he was a producer of the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The fabrications have also led to increased scrutiny of potential campaign finance issues, as Santos has been accused of potentially illegally funneling money into his campaign and using campaign funds on personal expenses. (The lawmaker has denied the accusations and said he’s done nothing illegal.) While Santos has thus far refused to resign from Congress, despite polling showing most of his district does not support him remaining in office, he has voluntarily stepped down from serving on congressional committees, due to the “ongoing attention surrounding [his] personal and financial investigations.”
Further Reading
House Ethics Committee Investigating George Santos, McCarthy Confirms (Forbes)
George Santos Stands Down From Committee Assignments Amid Lying Scandal (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/02/08/hes-a-sick-puppy-mitt-romey-goes-after-santos-at-state-of-the-union/