The Democrats’ effort to block a Senate bill on Republican-led police reform is “racial politics at its worst,” Republican Senator from South Carolina Tim Scott said Thursday.
In an interview on “Fox & Friends” with presenters Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade, Scott, who led the charge in favor of the bill, said Democrats were arrogant before the November election and would prefer to write the his. reform bill without any input from the Republican Party.
THE REPUBLIC OF THE SENATE POLICE REFORM PROJECT FAILS IN THE PROOF VOTE AMID THE DEM OPPOSITION
“Think about this, Brian,” he urged. “In the House Bill right now they rejected the Republican amendments. In our legislation, I offered five because they said they needed five. I offered 20 because they said 20. I offered a manager amendment that basically means we can rewrite parts of the bill you want. They said no. They had no desire to solve this problem before the election. “
According to Scott, the Democrats’ stubbornness and inability to act, citing the need for provisions Scott said he offered and the data collection, will also be the reasons why there is “blood on his hands.”
Senator Tim Scott, RS.C., right, accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Left Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, center, and others, speaks at a press conference to announce a republican police reform. Bill on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
“So when you go piece by piece, the only thing you can conclude is [that] It was not what we were talking about. It was who was speaking, “she commented.” And, not only me, Tim Scott, but who was speaking was the Republican Party that said to minority communities, marginalized communities, liberal-controlled communities like Atlanta and Minneapolis, Cleveland … We heard you. We see you. Here are reforms. ‘”
“We were coming [in] after solving their problems and that’s what the party, the Republican Party, has been doing for decades: solving the challenges that liberal politicians bring to people in liberal cities, “argued Scott.
The procedural “test” vote on whether to start the debate on Scott’s bill was 55-45; I needed 60 votes to proceed. Republicans had 53 votes, but not enough Democrats joined.
This effectively freezes police reform in Congress for the time being, even if the House passes its own measure on Thursday.
In a dramatic statement Tuesday, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, told CBS News Radio that Republicans are “trying to get away with, in reality, the murder of George Floyd.”
“What really happened was that the Democrats did not believe we would produce a quality product. Once we produced it, the president put the icing on the cake [and] came up with an executive order that even liberal commentators said this was a real and meaningful executive order, I think they jumped back because they don’t want this president to have a victory over another serious issue facing minority communities, “Scott He commented, responding to Pelosi: “This is pure, pure racial politics at its worst.”
He told “Friends” hosts that he remains frustrated by victims of police brutality, family members who have lost loved ones, and good law enforcement officers who are being “demonized.”
“I’m frustrated because we keep saying that you choose between law enforcement officers or that you choose between communities of color. That is a lie,” Scott said.
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“So I’m not going to demonize police officers who are willing to protect the citizens who need it most, and that’s something I won’t give to Democrats and it’s all they demanded: It was for us to demonize the law. application, “he said. “I refused to do it.”
“I’m not going to stereotype police officers. Especially as an African American who doesn’t want to be stereotyped. That … runs counter to common sense. But, it’s really important for those who want to earn. Costs, which means that the rest of us lose without [a] doubt, “Scott concluded.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Gregg Re, Marisa Schultz and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
