Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, told Newsmax on Thursday the chaos in the House after the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is a distraction from talking about the failures of the Biden administration.
"Instead of us being able to have a longer conversation about the southern border, it's a quagmire pit of the House," Scott told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "Instead of us talking about Bidenomics and the thousands of dollars that the average family has lost, it's the controversy that continues to breathe because of the dysfunction in the House of Representatives today.
"Our people, the American people, deserve a better path forward."
Scott served one term in the House before being appointed to the Senate in 2012 by then-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a rival for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. He criticized how eight Republicans, less than 4% of the House majority, could wield so much power to topple a sitting speaker.
"We have to understand that the road to socialism runs right through a divided Republican Party and when 4% of the body dictates to the 96%, that's a problem," Scott said. "That problem is solved by winning elections. It's caused by losing elections, and we must have a person at the top of the ticket that can create a red wave. I'm your guy to expand the majority."
Scott said he would not push to get Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., or any of the other seven Republicans who backed the motion to remove McCarthy expelled from the House.
"I would give the speaker of the House the margin to make that decision," Scott said. "One of the challenges that we saw at the beginning of this year is when Kevin McCarthy had to make a deal in order to become speaker, which gave, not a minority, but [eight] people, 4%, the power to overthrow the will of the vast majority of the Republican members of Congress.
"I would say, as president of United States, I'm not going to jump into that hotbed, but what I would do is create the type of majority where it would eliminate the possibility of a few rogue members making that decision."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.