CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview With Sen. Tim Scott

Interview

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TAPPER: Welcome back.

We're awaiting a historic vote on the impeachment charges against President Donald J. Trump.

And we're joined now by one senator who has said that he will vote to acquit President Trump, Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.

He was singled out last night by the president during the State of the Union address for his work on opportunity zones.

Senator, thanks so much.

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Yes, sir.

TAPPER: So, your colleague from Utah threw a little bit of a curveball into today's proceedings.

SCOTT: Sure.

TAPPER: Let's play a little bit of what Senator Romney just said a few minutes ago on the Senate floor.

SCOTT: Sounds good.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: As it is with each senator, my vote is an act of conviction.

We have come to different conclusions, fellows senators, but I trust we have all followed the dictates of our conscience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What's your reaction to his announcement that he will vote to remove President Trump on impeachment article one?

SCOTT: Yes, I'm not surprised, to be honest -- honest with you.

There's no question that, if you look back at the campaign trail, there seems to be an animus between Romney and the president for the entire time he's been senator.

So, it's not a surprising conclusion that he's drawing. I think it's unfortunate, and I don't think it's consistent with the facts.

But it's his to make, so I can't question the intentions of his heart. But I certainly can say that the consistency of his position led us to -- at least led me to the conclusion that this is not a surprise at all.

TAPPER: Well, he said that he has voted with President Trump 80 percent of the time, and he noted that, politically, it's easier for him to vote to acquit President Trump, but he's doing this because of the facts, not because of animus.

You don't -- you don't agree? You don't believe him?

SCOTT: Well, I mean, I think, from a policy position, there's no question that Mitt Romney is going to be consistent with the president's policies.

I think there's always been this chasm that's been evident and, frankly, palpable to most of us. So, I can't speak to the intent of a person's heart. I won't suggest that I am.

I am saying that, historically speaking, that we can look over the last several months, and anyone that comes to a conclusion that this is surprising, that is surprising to me.

But he obviously has said in his floor speech that he is making this decision based on his convictions of his heart. I am not in a position to question that. I am simply looking at the historical information that's been provided over his public campaign.

TAPPER: So, Senator Romney is one -- pardon me -- Senator Romney is one of many Republican senators who has said that what President Trump did was either inappropriate or wrong, including Republican Senators Thune and Sasse and Collins and Murkowski and Toomey, obviously, the majority of the Democratic House.

A majority of the American people, according to recent polls, think President Trump abused office.

Do you disagree that the president did something wrong in this instance?

SCOTT: Well, the conclusion of my colleagues, I assume, is based on the same transcript that I read.

And the question that you're having answered is, did the president do something impeachable on that call? And the answer that those folks that you just named are coming to is, the answer is, no, he did not.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: No, no, I don't mean impeachable, obviously not -- obviously, you don't --

SCOTT: Jake, Jake, Jake, hear me out here.

TAPPER: OK.

SCOTT: Thank you.

So, they're -- they have come to the conclusion that's not impeachable. The question is, was it proper?

And what do you say about the -- whether it was proper or not? And you're hearing from a number of the colleagues who say that, while it was not impeachable, it was not proper.

I think that goes back to whether or not he was talking about the 2016 election. Was he talking about the Bidens? And is it ever appropriate for a United States president to speak about and look for information on his opponent?

And I would say, under -- in that prism, the answer is no.

The question -- if you ask the question, should the president of the United States exclude any citizens from the question of obstruction and corruption, I think the answer is, he should not exclude any citizen, no matter what office they are running for.

[15:20:09]

And this really comes to the question of, where's the threshold that the president should not look for rooting out corruption? If you think it's his opponent -- do you think it's someone who's a serious candidate? Do you think it's someone who is a candidate for Senate, for Congress, or county council or city council?

So there are a lot of layers there that you would have to pull back to come to a real conclusion.

I'm not sure that that's happened with everyone. But, obviously, there are a lot of folks who believe that he did something improper.

TAPPER: But you're not one of them?

SCOTT: Well, I think that the question, should he look for ways to root out corruption, my answer is, he should. Did he do something that was impeachable? My answer is, he's innocent of anything impeachable.

But was it a perfect call? I have said from my first interview to this interview that it was not a perfect call. Certainly, I wish he wouldn't have mentioned the name Biden. But I don't find that he is -- once again, I don't know the intent of his heart. I don't find that the information, the evidence suggests that there

was no reason for us to have a serious concern about Burisma and corruption.

TAPPER: OK, so you're saying it's not a perfect call, and perhaps that you wouldn't go about the same thing if -- were you in the same shoes, that you wish he hadn't said Bidens.

Do you think that President Trump should be a bit more contrite about the call, even though, clearly, you don't think it rises to the level of impeachable or removable? Should he be apologetic? Should he be chastened in any way?

SCOTT: Well, the president will not be apologetic. He does not see --

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: That's certainly true.

SCOTT: -- the same facts that I do. I think he thinks it was a perfect call. I think he actually believes that.

So, I don't know that you should expect anything different from President Trump.

I am looking forward, however, to working on other priorities of the American people that we should be getting to. And I hope that we're getting to it, as I used to say, quick, fast and in a hurry.

TAPPER: All right, come back and talk about opportunity zones with us.

SCOTT: Please.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Talk about other things.

We appreciate it, Republican Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina.

SCOTT: Let's do it.

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