Marjorie Taylor Greene gets laughs out of George Santos
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) (L) talks to Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) in the House Chamber during the third day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McN
WASHINGTON - Rep.-elect George Santos may have found a new friend in Congress.
The New York Republican, who faces multiple potential investigations after he admitted that he fabricated much of his resume, was seen chatting and laughing with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Thursday.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) (L) talks to Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) in the House Chamber during the third day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McN
It was a far cry from his first day in the chamber when he sat mostly alone and was seen yawning.
On Wednesday, he also spent some time next to Marjorie Taylor Greene. At one point in the day, his name had to be called twice for a vote on the House Speaker as he seemed distracted.
U.S. Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) (L) talks to Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in the House Chamber during the third day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by W
The two interacted as the Republican majority failed for the ninth out of 11 times to elect a speaker of the House of Representatives. Santos can not officially become a member of Congress until after the speaker is elected.
Greene, from the party's far-right wing, has come to the defense of Santos in December after a TV report.
Santos, who faces a spiral of investigations from federal and local prosecutors into his campaign spending and lies about his family history, resume and education, declined to respond to questions from reporters inside and outside the Capitol, including one question about whether he planned to resign.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) (L) talks to Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) in the House Chamber during the third day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McN
Initially, the victory by Santos, an openly gay Republican who flipped a Long Island House seat held by Democrats for a decade, was seen as one of his party's bright spots in an otherwise underwhelming midterm election. But as reports began to emerge that he had lied about having Jewish ancestry, a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree, Santos turned into a distraction and embarrassment to the party as it prepares to take control of the House.
While some fellow Republicans have called for ethics investigations or for Santos to resign, GOP House leaders, including McCarthy, have notably remained silent. For his part, Santos apologized for his fabrications but downplayed them as "sins" over embellishing his resume, telling The New York Post that "we do stupid things in life."