The recent Democrat-controlled impeachment hearings did nothing to deter Tim Scott, one of the Republican Party’s most senior African-American leaders.
Scott has critiqued the hearings saying there is “no way in the world” the Senate would convict President Donald Trump.
On the cable show, “Cavuto Live,” he observed on the lack of a “fact pattern that leads to a conclusion of impeachment” and asserted his belief that Trump “seems to be innocent of an impeachable offense.”
Scott also questioned impeachment on CBS News.
Scott’s comments seemed to support a statement from Trump that Adam Schiff should be “compelled to testify” in any potential Senate hearing.
Adam Schiff will be compelled to testify should the Democrats decide, despite the fact that my presidential conversations were totally appropriate (perfect), to go forward with the Impeachment Hoax. Polls have now turned very strongly against Impeachment!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 23, 2019
“One thing is crystal clear, what we heard this week from the House was: no facts, no evidence, nothing that would lead to an impeachment,” Scott said.
“This is a place where I think all Americans wanted to know. Where is the fact pattern that leads to a conclusion of impeachment?”
The South Carolina senator highlighted “inconsistencies” from the House testimony, which include EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland, who, while the media spinned as a hostile witness to Trump, actually testified that Trump told him there was to be “no quid pro quo.” And, under grilling from Democrats on the committee, emphatically stated Trump said he “wanted nothing” from the Ukrainian president.
“So, I am not confused,” said Scott. “I am actually more clear that there is no way in the world the Senate can act and convict the president of impeachment because he seems to be innocent of an impeachable offense.”
Scott added that he would be “shocked” if the Democrat House didn’t vote to impeach and send the proceedings on to the Senate.
He also said the goal of impeachment is to overturn the results of the 2016 election and quoted Democrat who admitted it was to keep Trump from winning in 2020.
“There is one conclusion that was drawn before the impeachment process began,” he said. “Congressman Green said it really well, we must impeach the president, or we should impeach the president, we have to try to impeach the president or he will win reelection. That was the basis of the process. It is the same way today.”
Earlier this month, Scott told CBS News that “there is not an impeachable offense in the transcript” of President Trump’s July 25th call with the Ukrainian president.On Friday, Trump said he looked forward to a Senate impeachment trial, before branding the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry as a “scam.”
–Dwight Widaman and wire services