Scott declines to rebuke Trump's comments attacking McConnell
CBSN
Washington — Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida declined to criticize former President Donald Trump's recent comments attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, arguing the former president was talking about the harmful effects of inflation on low-income families when he claimed McConnell has a "death wish" after supporting a short-term government funding bill.
In an interview with "Face the Nation," Scott was asked if he would rebuke the recent remarks from Trump and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia targeting McConnell and Democrats given the level of divisiveness in the country and threats against elected officials. Scott, who is the chair of the Senate Republican's campaign arm, said political leaders should focus on how to "bring everybody together."
"What I believe what President Trump was talking about is the fact that we can't keep spending money," Scott said. "We're going to hurt our poorest families the most with this reckless Democrat spending and we've got to stop it. We can't cave into their spending."
More than 2 million federal employees face a looming deadline: By midnight on Thursday, they must decide whether to accept a "deferred resignation" offer from the Trump administration. If workers accept, according to a White House plan, they would continue getting paid through September but would be excused from reporting for duty. But if they opt to keep their jobs, they could get fired.
More employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were informed Wednesday that their jobs appear in doubt. Senior leadership at the EPA held an all-staff meeting to tell individuals that President Trump's executive order, "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," which was responsible for the closure of the agency's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, will likely lead to the shuttering of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights as well.
In her first hours as attorney general, Pam Bondi issued a broad slate of directives that included a Justice Department review of the prosecutions of President Trump, a reorientation of department work to focus on harsher punishments, actions punishing so-called "sanctuary" cities and an end to diversity initiatives at the department.