On Thursday morning, New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman heckled freshman Rep. George Santos (R-NY). In behavior some say was unbecoming, AOC and Bowman shouted at Santos — demanding he resign — while he spoke briefly with reporters following a narrow victory in the House regarding his expulsion.
Bowman and AOC are members of the so-called “squad,” a small group of progressives with a loud voice in Congress.
“Get him out. He gotta go,” Bowman shouted as he laughed and mocked Santos from the sidelines. “Resign. Save yourself. Have some dignity. New Yorkers need better,” jabbed Bowman.
AOC, who is currently under an ethics investigation, yelled, “Resign, bro.”
AOC and Bowman continued to shout at Santos as he departed the brief press conference, saying, “Have a great day.”
Santos misrepresented his business record and education credentials during the 2020 election and is facing a 13-count criminal indictment from the Justice Department concerning financial dealings.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
On Wednesday, the House voted largely along party lines, 221–204, to allow Santos to keep his position in the House. Santos has speaker McCarthy’s qualified support.
Bowman also had an unpleasant exchange with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who is a Santos supporter. As Bowman condemned her support of Santos, Greene said, “Biden is a criminal.”
“Your party is hanging by a thread,” Bowman charged.
As Bowman advocated expelling Santos, Greene said, “Nah, we gotta get rid of Biden. We gotta save the country.”
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Greene then unsuccessfully attempted to get the crowd to join her in chanting, “Impeach Biden.”
Bowman spoke over her chants, demanding that Greene and Republicans drop the “debt ceiling nonsense.”
Greene did not respond.
Neither representative seemed to be listening to what the other was saying. When Bowman asked her to do something about gun control, Greene responded, “Close the border. Save the children.”
Many hope the ongoing discussions between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Joe Biden will be more productive. Discussion topics are said to include the national budget, the debt ceiling, Title 42’s impact on immigration and the southern border crisis.
President Biden tweeted on Wednesday that congressional leaders had a “productive meeting.”
Biden added: “I’m confident that we’ll get to an agreement on the budget, and America will not default. Every leader in the room understands the consequences if we fail to pay our bills.”
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