Republican Senator Mitt Romney and disgraced republican Congressman George Santos got into a tense exchange in the House Chambers just before Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday night.
While the audio in the exchange, captured by C-SPAN, was low, Romney can clearly be seen telling Santos, “you should be embarrassed.” Romney can then be seen walking away with a clearly displeased look on his face, as Santos smirks slightly.
ABC News later confirmed Romney called Santos an embarrassment to his face, as Santos got an aisle seat to in the House Chambers.
“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 said to reporters after Biden’s speech, according to The Hill.
Romney added, “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 says that he embellished his record. Look, embellishing is saying you get an A when you get an A-minus,” Roney added. “Lying is saying you graduated from a college you didn’t even attend.”
Santos later responded on Twitter with a taunt: “Hey Mitt Romney, just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT.”
Santos is under pressure from members of both parties and face calls to resign after he was exposed for lying, constantly, about his background during his campaign and before. He is also under investigation for suspected campaign finance law violations.