Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is weighing in on why he believes his police reform bill failed to pass in the Senate.
According to Scott, it may have something to do with the president.
“My suspicion is that the presidential politics and choosing a vice president was a part of that conversation,” Scott said.
Scott argued there was a missed opportunity because what the House wanted to discuss was completely different from what Senate Democrats wanted to discuss.
“We missed a golden opportunity, not because the bills weren’t similar enough, but because what the House wanted was not what the Senate Democrats wanted to have a conversation about,” Scott said.
Watch his comments below:
Why did Scott's GOP policing bill break down in the Senate? @SenatorTimScott suggests "The presidential politics and choosing a vice president was a part of that conversation."
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) June 28, 2020
Adds, "What the House wanted was not what the senate Democrats wanted to have a conversation about." pic.twitter.com/0QwRTyihHe
Senate Republicans introduced the JUSTICE Act on June 17 in response to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act introduced by Democrats, as IJR previously reported.
There are several similarities between both bills. Both make lynching a federal hate crime, promote the use of body cameras, and suggest better training for police officers.
This is not the first time Scott suggested his bill did not pass for political reasons, as IJR previously reported.
“Unfortunately, the Democrats really want to hold on this issue. They believe they’re going to win in November, so they’d rather write their own reform bill without any input from the Republican Party,” Scott said during an interview on Fox News on Thursday.
He added, “They have no desire to actually solve this issue before the election.”
Scott’s bill received harsh criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Pelosi said Republicans are “trying to get away with murder” of George Floyd regarding the legislation.
She also called the bill “unsalvageable” and claimed “it doesn’t take action” and “doesn’t make any difference.”
Pelosi later doubled down on her remarks and said she would not apologize for her comments.
