Mitt Romney says George Santos is 'a sick puppy'
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) didn't mince words on Tuesday night, telling reporters he thinks Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is "a sick puppy" who had no business in an aisle seat during President Biden's State of the Union address.
Before the address started, Romney was spotted having a tense exchange with Santos, who has been surrounded by scandal ever since being elected in November. In the last few months, it's been revealed that Santos lied about his work, family, and educational history, and he's been accused of, among other things, campaign finance violations and stealing money from a GoFundMe set up to help a disabled veteran's dying dog get surgery.
During their back-and-forth, Romney told Santos he does not belong in Congress, a person who was near the action told NBC News. After the State of the Union, Romney elaborated on the matter, telling reporters that Santos is "a sick puppy. He shouldn't have been there. Given the fact that he's under ethics investigation, he should be sitting in the back row and being quiet instead of parading in front of the president." In response, Santos took it back to 2012, tweeting, "Hey @MittRomney just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT!"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier in the day, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shared with reporters that several ethics complaints have been registered against Santos. A McCarthy aide later announced that the House Ethics Committee has not yet launched an investigation because the panel hasn't been organized.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Political cartoons for November 30Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Saudi-China relationship, MAGA spelled wrong, and more
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
