Staff Reports
Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who is independent, became embroiled in a controversy involving Republicans during the State of the Union. The dispute began when Republican Representative George Santos of New York and Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah had a heated argument before the State of the Union on Tuesday. Senator Romney reportedly told Representative Santos that he was not fit to serve in Congress and later confirmed the exchange to the media. He expressed his disappointment that Santos had not resigned, given the ongoing investigations into his conduct and his tendency to not be truthful.
Rep. Santos says in interview that Sen. Sinema consoled him after his tense exchange this week with Sen. Romney, but Sinema's office says she never spoke to Santos. https://t.co/qRupmxo5mS
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 10, 2023
According to reports, Santos claimed that after his argument with Romney, Sinema offered words of support, saying “hang in there, buddy.” However, Sinema’s press secretary, Pablo Sierra Carmona, promptly denied this, stating that Sinema “didn’t say a word to Rep. Santos — and didn’t even know about the exchange with Senator Romney until they got to their seats.” Sinema also used Twitter to deny the claims, calling out media headlines that suggested Santos had found a “friend” in the Arizona senator and reiterating that the supposed exchange never took place.
The controversy surrounding Santos has been persistent since it was revealed that he falsified a significant part of his personal history. This has resulted in demands for his resignation from both his political party and state. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy commented on the matter of Santos’ resignation, informing journalists earlier this month that “The Ethics Committee is investigating the matter, and if they find anything, we will take appropriate action.”
