Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) On COVID-19 Spike In Florida
Florida Senator Rick Scott spoke with Fox News Radio’s Guy Benson about why Senate Democrats blocked the GOP Police reform Bill. Sen. Scott also commented on the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. Saying,
“Well, first off, look were clearly getting a lot of cases, over 5000 cases. We’ve got to take this seriously. we haven’t beaten it, wear your mask social distance. We’ve got to continue to give people more information so we know where the transmission is. So, look, where gonna get through this, but we all have to take this seriously. Everybody, businesses, individuals, all have to take it seriously.”
Listen To The Full Interview Below:
Full Transcript Below:
Guy Benson: Time for our happy hour here on the program. Guy Benson show dot com is our Web site. It is Friday Eve, which is how we talk about Thursday here on the show. Thank you for tuning in. If you’ve missed any of the show, podcast is free. Guy Benson showed outcome for all of your options there. We are joined now by U.S. Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida. Senator, great to have you back.
Sen. Scott: Great to be back with you.
Guy Benson: Going to be doing well hanging in there, Senator. And I want to start on a subject that I know you have been sounding off on significantly over the last 48 hours. So have I. We’ve devoted a lot of time on this program to what your colleagues in the Senate on the other side of the aisle have decided to do, which is to filibuster a motion, even to proceed to debate or amendments on a police reform bill authored by primarily Tim Scott. Your colleague from South Carolina, a Republican who happens to be black. The Democrats demanded, as you know, a bill be brought to the floor as soon as possible because lives were at stake. Literally not a moment to waste. And then Senate Republicans said, OK, here’s our bill. That includes a lot of bipartisan ideas. Let’s debate it. We can have votes on amendments. The Democrats said absolutely not. Slam the door filibuster. Your response?
Sen. Scott: Well, the Democrats, it’s I’ve been up here 18 months. They’re all talk and no action. They don’t want to get things done. They will. They weren’t sound. They want to have talking points for campaign. That’s all they care about. Think about this was a bill. Did we deal with with cameras, body cameras? Yeah, we do. With body cameras. Did we deal with chokeholds? Well, we do. Chokeholds. Did we deal with, you know, more money for law enforcement? We dealt with more money for law enforcement. And every time they brought up something where we dealt with that and we told them that we would have, you know, that we would have an open amendment process. So they didn’t want to get anything done. They they just it is politics. It’s it’s games. It’s it’s too bad for our country that the Democrats and whether the time whether it is this issue or taking care of the dog, the kids are driving health care costs down. The Democrats are talk no action. They do nothing to get anything done. They just weren’t talking points to try to win an election.
Guy Benson: The speaker of the House not satisfied to simply endorse this obstruction from her Senate colleagues, came out in an interview and said that Senator Scott, the other Senator Scott, Tim Scott, and his Republican colleagues are complicit in the murder of George Floyd, saying you guys are trying to get away with the murder of George Floyd by supporting the Justice Act. That is even by Washington, D.C. standards, even by Trump era standards. That is one of the ugliest things I’ve ever heard. And she was asked about it. I saw once she refused to apologize. And it kind of feels like that’s what I’ve just floated away. I know I didn’t see too many journalists chasing Democrats down the hallways on Capitol Hill demanding their response to what Speaker Pelosi said. Did you see any of that from the media generally? And what do you think of Nancy Pelosi’s slander, in my view?
Sen. Scott: That’s exactly what it is. It’s slander. I mean, it’s it’s ridiculous what she says. We have we actually want to get something done. The Republicans are the Democrats have no interest in getting anything done. And the media lets them off the hook. I mean, what happened to George Floyd? We would never want that to happen again. You know what? I’ve not talked to one person in law enforcement that would want to defend what happened there. They’re all disgusted. And what they want to do. They’re like, I am aware Tim Scott is let’s do something good to make sure those things don’t happen again. But now the Democrats know how do they have a campaign talking point? That’s all they care about.
Guy Benson: Yeah, the Republicans aren’t going to act. They say, even though you guys are begging to act and inviting them to be actively involved in the process. I just find it very interesting that Pelosi went from saying, let the Senate pass their bill. We’ll pass a bill out of the House. They can go to conference and come up with a compromise. That was her position until like 24 hours ago when I guess Chuck Schumer decided they’re going to launch a filibuster. And then she did a heel turn and said, actually, these Republicans are kind of murderers.
Sen. Scott: I mean, it’s disgusting. What? I mean, I’m really shocked. I mean, I’ve been up here. I was a governor for eight years. We went to get things done everyday up here. The Democrats. No, just give us just giving talking points. They obstruct anything we want to try to pass. Why don’t you show up and let’s have a conversation. Have the amendment process go through. If they want to try to change the bill. You explain to us, Tim said on the floor, he said, I’ve talked to I’ve talked to all these Democrats. And I said he said, I want to support your amendment. And I didn’t want to do that. So they they’re all talk. No action. That’s exactly what the Democrats are.
Guy Benson: That speaks for itself. And I did appreciate the comments from Senator McConnell this morning, noting that when Chuck Schumer and also Nancy Pelosi talked about this issue, they speak about it as if Tim Scott does not exist. They want to take away McConnell. They want to talk about Republicans. It’s like this black man has been a racist from the entire process because that’s inconvenient for them.
Sen. Scott: One of the best speeches on the Senate floor since I’ve been up here was Tim speech yesterday. if anybody wants to go. If anyone wants to see a good speech, somebody is passionate, cares about an issue. Tim Scott did it yesterday on the Senate floor.
Guy Benson: Yep. It’s available on YouTube. I actually link to it in my Townhall.com piece today. Senator Scott, Rick Scott of Florida, my guests. I want to ask you also about another issue I’ve seen you’ve been fired up on, which is these mob actions around the country tearing down not only statues that are, I think, objectionable to many Americans and very controversial involving the Confederacy, but also, you know, George Wash, Thomas Jefferson Grant, they’re trying to apparently take one down of Lincoln here in Washington, D.C., a monument that was paid for by former slaves and dedicated by Frederick Douglass. It’s completely insane. And it looks like there are a lot of local politicians in states and cities who are either afraid to stand up to this mob or kind of agree with the mob. I wonder what your thoughts are.
Sen. Scott: Well, I went to Lincoln Park, Lincoln Park this morning. There’s a statue of Lincoln, which isn’t particularly proclamation tonight. There was you know, that the left is planning on tearing it down. And this is this is mob rule. Now, the thing about Lincoln, was he a Confederate soldier? No, a general sympathizer to the convert? No. He signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free them. And these guys, these guys want to tear it down. This is anarchy. This is these Left-Wing mayors and governors. They’re sitting on the sideline because they are okay with it. This is what they do in communist countries when it comes come over. They tear down all the statues that change the name on everything. So you know what? Always what we do with the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial. Are they going to are they are they radicals? Are they going to start burning our books to get rid of history? They hate America. They don’t believe we’re funded. They think we’re fundamentally evil. And they want our kids and our grandkids to hate this country. So enough’s enough. All of us have to stand up and say we are not going to put up with this. There is everybody has flaws. Right. But this is the greatest country ever created. It’s a beacon of hope. This is the chance to live. The dream of the world is right here. The American dream.
Guy Benson: Yeah, and I know they’re sort of like a long running joke about Stalin in particular, having people photo shopped out of photographs when you want to just airbrush them out of history. And it kind of feels like that’s what we’re going through here. You mentioned communist countries. I have to ask you, there was reporting yesterday that the White House requested the brakes be pumped on an anti China piece of legislation in the Senate where one of your colleagues, I believe, was Senator Kramer, actually objected to unanimous consent on a bill that he was cosponsoring. That’s tough on China at the request of the president and the White House. Do you have any concern about why the White House is trying to slow down something that would get tougher on China, which I know is a priority for you, a private priority for me? We’ve talked about it on this program several times.
Sen. Scott: We have to get tough on China. I mean, think about they steal our jobs as sewer technology. We put a million people in prison for their religion. They’re taking away the basic rights of Hong Kong’s citizens. They lied to us on the pandemic. The militarizes South China, China Sea. We have to wake up. You know, every one of us have to say we’re going to buy American products. We’re not going to buy products for communist China. We’re going to stand up for human rights. And so I will do everything. And I believe the republic who said it will do everything to hold China accountable. And my expectation is the White House and everyone, the Democrats all start showing up to do the exact same thing.
Guy Benson: OK. So you think this is a hitch? Not something that’s going to get slow walked.
Sen. Scott: No, no, no, no. I mean, we passed legislation today in the Senate to do sanctions against China with regard to what they’re doing in Hong Kong, taking away the basic rights. No, I do it every time I talk to the White House. I talk when they’re talking to Trump Navarro. They’re all in on holding China accountable.
Guy Benson: OK. Final question, Senator. You mentioned a few moments ago that you were governor for two terms of that state. It’s a tough time right now in Florida with covered a lot of cases, spiking some concerning data on hospitalizations. I think overall, Florida has handled this quite well. They are now experiencing. You guys are experiencing a wave, as are some other very warm states, it seems, of this first wave crashing into Florida. Very briefly, your thoughts on what’s going on there and some of the pot shots being taken again at Florida by the media and someone even like Governor Cuomo.
Sen. Scott: Well, first off, look more clearly getting a lot of cases, over 5000 cases. We’ve got to take this seriously where we haven’t beaten it, where your mass social distance. We’ve got to continue to give people more information so we know where the transmission is. So, look, we didn’t get through this, but we all have to take this seriously. Everybody, businesses, individuals, all have to take a seriously.
Guy Benson: Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida. He was a two term governor in that state as well, my guest here on The Guy Benson Show. A lot to get to here on the program today. Senator, we always appreciate your time. Thanks for doing this.
Sen. Scott: Have a great day.
Sen. Scott: You, too. Appreciate it. When we come back, after we step aside, I will bring you an update from Seattle. The autonomous zone is almost a thing of the past, but there are some wrenching developments that are making the media look even more foolish than ever. Not to mention the officials in that city and in the state of Washington as well. Those updates that will make you perhaps laugh and or cry. Coming up. Stay tuned.
