Sen. Cassidy Blasts Dems For 'Misleading' Criticism Of New Voting Laws

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Sunday called Democrats' criticism of new voting laws "misleading."

In an interview on CNN’s "State of the Union," Cassidy also defended the filibuster because "otherwise you’re just totally rolled by somebody willing to sacrifice truth to pursue their agenda."

"They're not criminalizing giving people water," he said of new voting laws. "They're just saying you can't walk up to [voters] just before they walk in…and tell them who to vote for. You can still give water to the people working at the poll. … several other things are misleading."

"If you are trying to call the United States of America to unity, trying to get us to where we will come to common ground, you don't end up spreading things that are untrue or frankly lies," he said. "And that's why people think we need the filibuster, otherwise you're just totally rolled by somebody willing to sacrifice truth to pursue their agenda.

According to Cassidy, the Supreme Court decided that the conditions in 1965 are different than they are now," he said.

"We've had an African American-elected president of the United States, an African American elected to the vice presidency and an African American elected to the senate in South Carolina," he said. "If anyone can't see the circumstances have changed, they're just not believing their lying eyes."

Cassidy declared there’s been "incredible progress in our country. "

"There's more to do, absolutely. We need safeguards, but to argue we are still the same as we were in 1965 is to deny facts that are clearing before us."

He also weighed in on attempts to overturn election results, saying they didn’t work in 2020 and won’t in the future.

"We should not underestimate the American people. The American people are not going to vote for a cheat," he said. "If someone says I'm voting because I want to flip an election, they're going to lose their election. And so I think we have to kind of give credit to the American people in the elections, in the process that we've gone to. Those ill intents didn't pass."

Cassidy insisted that vaccine mandates should always be a decision at the local level, not one made by the federal government.

"I do not support federal vaccine mandates. That's never been the case before. On a state and local level, a business and a school, they have a right to do so. The federal government never has before and I oppose that," he stated.

He added that it should be acknowledged that there is medical literature that backs up the argument that previous COVID-19 infection grants immunity.

"So when we speak of statistics let's also include those previously infected," he suggested.

"They may still be infected with omicron [variant] but not going to go to the hospital," he said.

Cassidy argued that the Biden administration has "lost focus" on the shortage of COVID tests.

"That's not something you deliver just in time. It's something you have a big warehouse, and whenever you need you shove it out but you immediately refill it, and the administration needs to get warp speed back," he said.

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