HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Mark Rozzi stepped down as the Pennsylvania House Speaker on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, proclaiming his two-month tenure a success because he pushed bills to help survivors of child sex abuse cross the finish line.

Though Rozzi no longer holds the position of speaker, he still has strong opinions and blasted Senate Republicans for not moving a clean version of the statute of limitations bill.

Rozzi also had harsh comments for the House Republican leader, with whom he conspired to grab the gavel.

“The two biggest liars in this building are Bryan Cutler and Jake Smeltz, his chief of staff,” Rozzi said.

Rozzi admitted making a deal to become speaker of the house and then switch his party affiliation to Independent if his amendment was passed cleanly. However, within hours, Rozzi says the terms changed.

“Leader Cutler tried to force me to run these other constitutional amendments. One thing I would not give anybody is something for nothing. If you went back on your word why should I continue forward saying I’m going to become a true Independent, that’s not going to happen,” Rozzi added.

Rozzi says as he struggled to build a staff and find money to pay for it, Cutler offered to help, but with strings attached.

“‘I can pay for your office staff back home, I can give you money to help you run your office, but these are things that are going to have to happen.’ That’s when I looked at him and told him to get the hell out of my office,” Rozzi said.

“I can’t imagine a worse way for a speaker to spend two months in office, no wonder he had to resign,” said House GOP Spokesman Jason Gottesman.

House Republicans blame Rozzi for wasting two months that they suspect was the House Democrats’ plan all along.

“The man broke every single one of his promises from the moment he made them. Him trying to save his legacy now his failed legacy is just inappropriate,” Gottesman added.

Rozzi was hopeful the Independent speaker concept would work and could have if the two sides simply agreed on operating rules, he says.

“I felt like I was a parent at one point when I had to send Republicans back to their room and Democrats back to their room and said, ‘Until you agree on something, don’t come out of your rooms. And don’t bother me I’m going out to talk to people of Pennsylvania to hear what they have to say,'” Rozzi concluded.

Tune in to This Week in Pennsylvania Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. for much more with the former speaker Mark Rozzi: Unplugged; Republicans say unhinged.