- Rep.-elect George Santos momentarily held up the speaker vote by not responding to his name.
- Santos is under scrutiny for being dishonest to voters during his campaign.
During the fifth House Speaker vote, beleaguered New York Representative-elect George Santos seemed to briefly stall the process by not responding to his name being called.
"Santos. Santos," a voice said over a microphone as Santos held his head down and the person next to him appeared to be talking quietly. He then raised his hand moments after his name was called for the second time, according to a video captured by CSPAN and also posted to Twitter by The Recount on Wednesday.
—The Recount (@therecount) January 4, 2023
The 34-year-old Republican is under intense scrutiny for running a campaign rooted in dishonesty, being investigated in the US. and by Brazilian authorities, and getting called out by an ex-boyfriend for not paying bills and stealing his phone.
The video posted by The Recount prompted Twitter users to poke fun at Santos' moment of absence.
"Bueller… Bueller… Bueller," one user quipped.
—Hamby aka Walt's Dad (@HambySanDiego) January 4, 2023
On his first day at Congress, Santos largely avoided reporters and sat isolated throughout the day, Insider reported. A fellow congress member called Santos a liar in Portuguese on Tuesday after he cast his vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Insider also reported.
The New York Post reported that Santos remained somewhat standoffish during the vote on Wednesday, appearing to only look at his phone and be unengaged overall.
Santos voted in favor of McCarthy becoming House Speaker. After six votes over two days, McCarthy still has not earned the spot.
—Acyn (@Acyn) January 3, 2023
Santos was not immediately reachable for comment.