Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Wednesday went into toady mode for Donald Trump as he dismissed the Senate impeachment trial of the ex-president for inciting the U.S. Capitol riot as a “complete waste of time.”
During a recess that followed the showing of chilling new footage of the Jan. 6 mob violence, the former Florida governor reportedly said he was “disgusted” the pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol thought “they can do things like that and get away with it.”
Scott also said he hoped all who “came into the Capitol and did the wrong thing” are prosecuted “to the full extent of the law,” reported NBC News.
But when grilled on Trump’s responsibility for the insurrection, Scott ducked the question, saying, “I wish the president had said something faster when they broke into it.”
Scott then defended Trump:
“But, you know, I’ve watched what he said. He’s never said when somebody should break in. (Trump) actually said that people should do this peacefully.”
“This is a complete waste of time,” Scott added. “It’s not doing anything to help American families, it’s not helping people get jobs, it’s not helping get the vaccine out. ... It’s vindictive.”
Trump, for weeks following the 2020 election, stoked resentment and anger among his base with the lie that it had been stolen from him. The ex-president’s violent rhetoric culminated in the Capitol siege, during which five people died.
On Tuesday, the first day of the trial, Scott said the book he was reading during the proceedings was “a lot more interesting, factual, and informative” than Democrats’ presentation of the case to convict Trump ― which even Trump’s own attorney admitted was well done.
Scott was among the 147 Republicans in Congress who voted to overturn the 2020 election result.
The Florida Republican made similar claims about impeachment of Trump being a waste of time during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity in January 2020, when the then-president was on trial for Ukraine misconduct. The GOP-controlled Senate ultimately voted to acquit Trump.
Scott likened Trump’s first trial to “political theater,” even releasing a video in which he claimed he was being held “hostage.”