Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) deflected to a bizarre defense of Border Patrol agents on Sunday when asked about President Donald Trump’s racist tweets about Baltimore.
After Trump attacked Rep. Elijah Cummings via Twitter for supposedly letting his district in Baltimore become a so-called “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,” NBC News reporter Chuck Todd asked Scott if the tweets were good politics for the Republican Party.
The Florida senator pivoted to what prompted Trump to post the tweets: a House Oversight Committee hearing with acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, during which Cummings angrily confronted McAleenan over the filthy conditions under which Border Patrol agents are keeping migrant children.
“Let’s look at what [Trump] said and why he did did it,” Scott responded. “Congressman Cummings sat there and attacked our Border Patrol agents, all right? This reminds me of what happened to soldiers coming back from Vietnam.”
“That justifies a a racial resentment tweet in response?” Todd asked. “Is that presidential leadership?”
Scott stuttered for a few seconds before saying, “Well look, I didn’t do the tweets, Chuck.”
“I can’t talk about why he did what he did,” the GOP lawmaker continued. “But I’m very disappointed in people like Congressman Cummings who is attacking Border Patrol agents that are trying to do their job but the Democrats won’t give the resources to do it.”
Watch Scott below:
While defending Trump's tweets, Sen. Rick Scott compares border agents to Vietnam War vets pic.twitter.com/6FBxzVVwWS
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 28, 2019
