House Speaker Kevin McCarthy masterfully avoided taking the bait after a CNN reporter attempted to instigate a rift between him and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah.
McCarthy instead managed to hit at both Romney and Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California without ever losing a step.
CNN’s Manu Raju spoke to Romney on Wednesday and asked him about an exchange he had on Tuesday night with embattled Republican Rep. George Santos of New York.
Romney responded by laying into Santos with the kind of fury he reserves only for Republicans. He said Santos had no business mingling with senators and the president after the State of the Union address.
Asked Mitt Romney if he’s disappointed that Speaker McCarthy hasn’t called on George Santos to resign.
“Yes,” he said.
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,” Romney said. pic.twitter.com/obpaYD8v1x
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 8, 2023
According to Romney, Santos should have been “sitting in the back row and staying quiet instead of parading in front of the president and people coming into the room.”
“Look, he says that he embellished his record,” Romney said of Santos. “Embellishing is saying you got an A when you got an A-minus. Lying is saying you graduated from a college you didn’t even attend.”
Romney was then asked if he was disappointed with McCarthy for sticking by Santos. He responded with an emphatic “yes.”
At no point during the interview did Romney call on Swalwell to resign after his much-reported tryst with a Chinese spy.
Do you think McCarthy is doing a good job as House speaker?
Yes: 99% (202 Votes)
No: 1% (3 Votes)
Romney also refrained from calling on Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut to quit, despite the Democrat’s past lies about fighting in the Vietnam War — which he did not.
This is what we have come to expect from Romney, sadly. He is always good for a soundbite for the establishment media and quick to hold everyone but his Democratic colleagues accountable.
It is also clear from what he told CNN that Romney does not feel Santos is dignified enough to speak to President Joe Biden, which is telling.
In any event, Raju got his Romney soundbite without a great deal of effort. When the CNN reporter took the quote to McCarthy, he wanted a fiery response. He definitely got one.
Raju informed the speaker that Romney had expressed disappointment in McCarthy’s refusal to call on Santos to resign.
McCarthy refused to get baited into Republican infighting. He fired back, “Romney should be disappointed that Swalwell hasn’t resigned.”
Asked McCarthy about Romney saying he was disappointed that the speaker hasn’t called on Santos to resign. “Romney should be disappointed that Swalwell hasn’t resigned,” McCarthy said pic.twitter.com/Gp5U81efHD
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 8, 2023
It was a mic-drop moment. McCarthy hit two birds with one stone, and he somehow managed to do it in stride.
