Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) had harsh words for some of his Republican colleagues in the Senate, including Sens. J.D. Vance (OH) and Josh Hawley (MO), according to an excerpt from an upcoming book.
Romney: A Reckoning is a revealing account of Romney’s life set to be released on October 24, written by author McKay Coppins.
The Never Trump senator had some critical words for his colleagues who support former President Donald Trump.
“I don’t know that I can disrespect someone more than J. D. Vance,” Romney told Coppins. Romney’s disdain for Vance stems from the Ohio senator’s decision to echo “some of Trump’s wildest attacks on Democrats and President Biden,” the New York Post detailed.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill May 16, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“I do wonder, how do you make that decision? How can you go over a line so stark as that — and for what?” Romney added. “It’s not like you’re going to be famous and powerful because you became a United States senator. It’s like, ‘Really? You sell yourself so cheap?’”
Romney went on to hit Hawley for being sympathetic to Trump’s arguments about the 2020 election results.
Per the New York Post:
Another object of Romney’s ire is Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), part of a group the Utahan said had “put politics above the interests of liberal democracy and the Constitution” by objecting to the 2020 election results.
“Josh Hawley is one of the smartest people in the Senate, if not the smartest, and Ted Cruz [R-Texas] could give him a run for his money,” Romney told Coppins, adding: “They know better” than to believe Trump’s claim that massive fraud cost him a second term.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) speaks during a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight on Capitol Hill August 3, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Coppins alleges that Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) described Trump as an “idiot” in private, despite publicly supporting him.
“You’re lucky,” McConnell allegedly told Romney at one point. “You can say the things that we all think. You’re in a position to say things about him that we all agree with but can’t say.”
The book’s excerpts were released the same day Romney announced that he will not be running for reelection in 2024. Trump called Romney’s decision “FANTASTIC NEWS FOR AMERICA, THE GREAT STATE OF UTAH, & FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY,” in a Truth Social statement.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at
