Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) said Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) comments to the first-term lawmaker during an exchange at the State of the Union address last night were not “very Mormon of him.”
“It’s not the first time in history that I’ve been told to shut up and go to the back of the room, especially by people who come from a privileged background,” Santos told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m never gonna shut up and go to the back of the room. I think it’s reprehensible the senator would say such a thing to me. … It wasn’t very Mormon of him.”
Romney, a Mormon, told Santos at President Biden’s address to Congress on Tuesday night that he shouldn’t have been there, slamming him as an “embarrassment.” The exchange between the two was caught on camera as Romney walked down the aisle to his seat at the speech.
“I don’t know the exact words I said. He shouldn’t have been there. Look, he’s a sick puppy. He shouldn’t have been there,” Romney told reporters after the speech.
“I don’t think he ought to be in Congress, and he certainly shouldn’t be in the aisle trying to shake the hand of the president of the United States and dignitaries coming in. It’s an embarrassment,” he added.
Romney’s admonishment of Santos comes as the latter’s early political career has been marred by controversy, disgraced by allegations of lying about his background and questionable financial actions. Santos has admitted to embellishing his resume but has refused calls from both Republicans and Democrats to step down. He is under investigation by both federal and local authorities.
Santos took the time to hit back at Romney over his previous attempts to run for president. In 2012, Romney was the Republican nominee for president. Santos dinged him on Twitter after the State of the Union, saying, “You will NEVER be PRESIDENT!”