Rep. George Santos (R-NY) waits for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) called Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) "a sociopath" on CNN Wednesday morning for continuing to seek out attention even as he faces a number of investigations into his background, financial disclosures and campaign finances.
Driving the news: LaLota was asked about Sen. Mitt Romney's (R-Utah) tense exchange with Santos at the State of the Union, in which Romney called him an "ass," per Semafor. Romney later said Santos is "a sick puppy" who shouldn't have been there.
- "Mitt Romney is right on this one," LaLota said. "He does not deserve to be in Congress."
- "He's all about the rhetoric," LaLota said of Santos. "He's all about the drama. And he's fallen far below the standard that we all should hold ourselves to."
- "He's a sociopath, George Santos," the Republican lawmaker told CNN. "He looks for that attention. Even the negative attention drives him. It's become an embarrassment and a distraction to the Republicans in the House."
Background: LaLota is one of several Republicans who have demanded for Santos to resign.
Go deeper: "A sick puppy": Romney's tense exchange with George Santos at State of the Union