Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott slammed Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin for referring to his police reform legislation as “a token,” hours after it was introduced Wednesday.
“Let’s not do something that’s a token, half-hearted approach,” Durbin, the second-highest ranking Senate Democrat, said during a speech about Scott’s legislation. Scott responded shortly after Durbin’s remarks, asking him if his Democratic colleagues are “still wearing those kente cloths over there.”
Y’all still wearing those kente cloths over there @SenatorDurbin? https://t.co/h3WETXn3We
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) June 17, 2020
WATCH:
Sen. Dick Durbin describes Sen. @TimScottSC‘s police reform bill as a “token, half-hearted approach” pic.twitter.com/dAVeU8NRvb
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 17, 2020
Scott’s tweet comes after a fact-checker said Tuesday that the kente cloths that Democrats wore after George Floyd’s death were “historically worn” by an “empire involved in [the] West African slave trade,” The Daily Wire reported.
Scott responded June 10 to the criticism he has received for drafting police reform legislation after the death of George Floyd. (RELATED: Sen. Tim Scott Fires Back At Those Calling Him A ‘Token’ For Drafting GOP Police Reform Legislation)
“Not surprising the last 24 hours have seen a lot of ‘token’ ‘boy’ or ‘you’re being used’ in my mentions. Let me get this straight … you DON’T want the person who has faced racial profiling by police, been pulled over dozens of times, or been speaking out for YEARS drafting this?” Scott said on Twitter.
“And don’t throw ‘you’re the only black guy they know’ at me either. There are only two black Democratic Senators, stop pretending there’s some huge racial diversity gap in the Senate. Ask my Dem colleagues what their staffs look like … I guarantee you won’t like the answer,” Scott continued.
Scott and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced the legislation in a press conference Wednesday morning, which comes just one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on police reform. (RELATED: Tim Scott, Other Republican Senators Officially Introduce Police Reform Bill)
McConnell appointed Scott to lead the party’s effort in passing a police overhaul bill before July 4. The South Carolina senator ruled out including a revision to qualified immunity — a key measure supported by Democrats and others. (RELATED: Sen. Tim Scott Fires Back At Those Calling Him A ‘Token’ For Drafting GOP Police Reform Legislation)
The group of Republican senators who worked on the bill includes Scott’s fellow South Carolina senator, Lindsay Graham, as well as Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.