Independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema unwittingly found herself dragged into a GOP State of the Union feud and she’s not having any of it.
Republican New York Rep. George Santos and Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney apparently had a battle of words prior to Tuesday’s State of the Union. Romney reportedly told Santos he did not belong in Congress. Romney later confirmed the exchange with reporters, expressing his deep frustration that Santos had not yet resigned given the slew of investigations surrounding him and his reported penchant for not telling the truth. (RELATED: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Weighs In On Romney/Santos Feud)
Santos then claimed that Sinema offered up words of encouragement after the heated exchange, telling the GOP freshman to “hang in there, buddy,”according to Business Insider.
It seems, however, that Sinema was taken aback by the claim of pleasantries as her press secretary, Pablo Sierra Carmona, wasted no time in refuting the claims.
“This is a blatant lie. Kyrsten 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,” Carmona told Insider.
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
Sinema further took to Twitter to call out headlines that claimed Santos had found a “friend” in the Arizona senator, once again declaring the purported exchange to be a lie.
After it was revealed Santos had completely fabricated a good portion of his biography, many people, including those from his own party and state, have called on him to resign.
“There is absolutely no way Mr. Santos can be an effective member of Congress and represent the people who elected him. The longer he remains in office, the longer the residents of the 3rd Congressional District will suffer. Mr. Santos, haven’t you done enough harm?” North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena asked in January.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy weighed in on the question of Santos’ resignation, telling reporters earlier this month, “Ethics is moving through and if Ethics finds something, we’ll take action.”