March 08, 2024 10:58 AM UTC

Boebert Hangs With Expelled Bestie George Santos at SOTU

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• by: Colorado Pols

As ABC News reports–although Colorado’s struggling Rep. Lauren Boebert didn’t manage to disrupt President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last night as feared, ceding the spotlight in that regard to a MAGA hat-wearing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Boebert did raise some eyebrows for her deja vu-inducing face time with none other than expelled Rep. George Santos, chilling in the same seats they used to sit together in before Santos got the boot over his fabricated life story and criminal enterprise masquerading as a congressional campaign for which Santos faces trial later this year:

Disgraced former Republican Rep. George Santos arrived in the House chamber on Thursday night about an hour before President Joe Biden’s speech was to begin and about three months after he became the first House member to be expelled in more than 20 years.

He was seen seated on the GOP side near the aisle — his normal position when he was a voting lawmaker…

At one point, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida joined in a conversation with Santos, along with chat with GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who rocked her head back in laughter.

The first assumption for many was that Santos was the invited guest of a member, but as it turns out, even expelled members of Congress retain their privileges to enter the House chambers whenever they want, at least up until Santos is actually convicted of the many crimes he stands accused of. Like so many other conventions in Washington, abuse of this privilege has historically been self-limited by the shame of expelled representatives. Santos, as he amply demonstrated on his way out of Congress a few months ago, is utterly shameless, further evidenced by his announcement yesterday that he’ll be “running for Congress” once again–which we assume means he’s out of cash and in need of a fresh slush fund infusion. The truest statement ever made about Santos is when Sen. Mitt Romney told Santos last year that he doesn’t belong in Congress.

By now you may be rightly wondering what one of the most desperately vulnerable incumbent Republicans in the nation is doing hanging out with an expelled former representative facing a wide array of felony charges? Boebert and Santos made friends quickly after Santos took office in January of last year, and the clique of far-right lawmakers seated in the same part of the House centered around Rep. Matt “Giggity” Gaetz stuck together right up to and after Santos’ expulsion. It’s possible that Boebert, whose own record is replete with inexplicable campaign finance irregularities, doesn’t understand that this is not an association that wins her any support politically, or she might think loyalty to her former babysitter matters more than appearances to the voters.

Either way it’s not a good look for Boebert, and this joins a long list of issues fitting that description.