Tense moment sees Mitt Romney send George Santos reeling with four word response

Mitt Romney confronted Congressman George Santos in a tense exchange as president Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union address.

The pair clashed in an awkward moment inside the House chamber, with Romney reportedly delivering a devastating four-word put down.

Controversial New York lawmaker Santos currently finds himself at the centre of countless scandals resulting from a long list of lies he has admitted to or been caught telling about his life and history.

Footage captured inside the chamber sees Romney approach Santos before appearing to say: “You don’t belong here.”

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

He also appeared to say “You ought to be embarrassed” a number of times.

The pair exchanged words, with ABC’s Ben Siegel reporting that Mr Santos was seen quipping “what an a******” about Romney to someone nearby.

The pair shared a tense exchange inside the chamberC-SPAN

The confrontation took place shortly before Biden made his address, discussing everything from police reform to the threat fentanyl poses in the US. He also spoke about his plan to increase tax on billionaires and corporations, as well as the “spy balloon” diplomatic row with China.

It proved to be one of the feistier addresses of recent years, with Biden clashing with Republican heckles and boos, while staring down opposition inside Congress.

Meanwhile, Republican congressman Santos previously denied reports of taking part in drag pageants over a decade ago. Santos described the accusations as "categorically false" in an angry tweet.

It read: "The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or “performed” as a drag Queen is categorically false.

"The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results."

Santos, the first openly gay party member elected to the House of Representatives, has backed Florida's controversial "Parental Rights in Education" bill.

The law, also known by critics as "don't say gay", prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.