Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah confronted Rep. George Santos of New York (R) at the State of the Union address on Tuesday, and the interaction was caught on video.
Romney told reporters later that he scolded Santos over numerous lies about his life he had been caught telling during his campaign for Congress.
“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,” Romney added. “It’s an embarrassment.”
Video of the interaction did not catch the audio of their statements. Viewers immediately began trying to guess what exactly was said between the two, with most agreeing that Romney called Santos an “embarrassment.”
Romney told reporters that Santos “should be sitting in the back row and staying quiet instead of parading in front of the president and people coming into the room.”
On Wednesday, Santos addressed the feud and referenced Romney’s religious faith.
“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,” said Santos to reporters.
“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,” he added. “It wasn’t very Mormon of him.”
Santos later tweeted a swipe at Romney over his failed 2012 presidential campaign against then-incumbent President Barack Obama.
“Hey @MittRomney just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT!” he tweeted.
Here’s the video of the confrontation:
Mitt Romney scolds George Santos at State of Union, ‘You don’t belong here’www.youtube.com
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