John Oliver didn’t buy Rep. George Santos’ (R-N.Y.) reason for not backing Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) in the House speaker race.
Santos moaned to reporters last week that Scalise hadn’t responded to his multiple requests for guidance, slamming it as a “dereliction of duty.”
“Is he snubbing you?” one journalist asked Santos.
“I don’t know. I don’t care quite frankly,” the congressman snapped back, before leaving the scene.
“Are you sure about that? Because it really seems like it’s because Scalise snubbed you,” Oliver mocked Santos on Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight” in a video that Raw Story shared online.
“Honestly, Santos saying, ‘I don’t care,’ in a tone that makes it clear he absolutely cares might be the most transparent lie that he’s ever told which is saying something,” he added.
Oliver listed just some of the fabrications of Santos, who is now supporting Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the position.
Santos faces a 23-count indictment on allegations he embezzled money from his campaign, lied to Congress, and used donors’ credit cards to rack up unauthorized charges.
“For George Santos, an almost clinically chaotic man, to decide that you don’t have fundamental leadership skills is truly damning,” added Oliver.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the speaker role almost two weeks ago. Scalise last week won a secret ballot to become the GOP nominee but withdrew within 24 hours after realizing he wouldn’t have a majority.
On Friday, the GOP selected Donald Trump-backed Jordan as its candidate, but it’s currently unclear if he will obtain a majority either.
For Oliver’s main segment, he examined food safety. He opened the show talking about the war between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip.