Republican Sen. Tim Scott received multiple threatening voice messages using racial slurs and vulgar language threatening his life as he worked to craft the Republican JUSTICE Act — a police reform measure Democrats rejected this week.
“You coon motherf—– you,” a person says in one of the messages provided to the Washington Examiner by Scott’s office. “I hope you choke on your tongue tonight b—-. You are the lowest piece of s— this country ever produced.”
The caller identified himself as calling from “the sunshine state” before mentioning Florida Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.
“[Rubio] turned on his own people and … Rick Scott is a God d— crook,” the caller said. “So all you motherf—— are gonna burn in hell together. So take your ticket one way straight to hell.”
Scott’s office confirmed the senator played the voicemails for other GOP members during Senate lunches on Tuesday and said the messages have been reported to U.S. Capitol Police.
Sen. Chuck Grassley said he was “shocked” when Scott played the voicemails for his colleagues.
“Shocked 2learn at lunch abt hateful msgs to Sen Tim Scott our ldr of police reform from ppl who must think somehow a black republican can’t lead this effort bc only democrats r qualified to talk abt race/police reform???,” Grassley tweeted. “We ALL hv a responsibility to b kind even when we disagree!”
Scott, the GOP’s lone black senator, was tapped by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to lead the party’s police reform efforts following the death of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and other black Americans who have recently died during interactions with law enforcement.
He delivered a fiery floor speech on Wednesday, denouncing Democrats after they blocked the JUSTICE Act.
“They’ve decided to punt this bill until the election. You know why?” Scott said. “Because they believe the polls reflect a 15-point deficit on our side, therefore, they can get the vote they want in November. All they have to do is win the election, then roll in January and get the chance to write the police reform bill without our support at all.”
Scott has been outspoken about the racism and discrimination he has faced in the halls of Congress.
“All of us do not have to tackle the issues like I did when I was 16 and 17 and 18 and 25 and 26 and 30,” Scott said. “We have the ability to say to that young man and to that young lady, ‘We don’t just see you, we didn’t just hear you. We acted on it.’”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi drew criticism this week when she said Senate Republicans were “trying to get away with murder, actually — the murder of George Floyd.”
Scott said Pelosi’s comment offended him.
“One of the most heinous things I can imagine,” Scott said of Pelosi’s remarks. “[Pelosi] knows she can get away with that.”
