Sen. Tim Scott says Republican voters ‘are hungry for an optimistic, positive message as long as you have a backbone'
Scott, who’s expected to launch a presidential campaign later this month, spoke with Fox News Digital on May 8, 2023 in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., once confused Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., with Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., in the Senate hallways, according to an excerpt from a forthcoming book.
The story goes that Feinstein previously ran into Scott, seemingly some time in 2021, congratulated him on his recent election victory and claimed she was happy to serve with him.
In an excerpt published in Politico, the Washington Post's Ben Terris wrote it was "obvious to Scott and the staffers in tow that Feinstein had mistaken the South Carolinian for Raphael Warnock, the newly elected Democratic senator from Georgia." Both Scott and Warnock are Black; Warnock won a runoff race in 2021 along with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN RETURNS TO WASHINGTON, DC FOLLOWING MONTHS-LONG ABSENCE
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 10: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) escorts Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) as she arrives at the U.S. Capitol following a long absence due to health issues on May 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. Feinstein was fighting a case of shingles and has been absent from the Senate for almost three months. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The anecdote comes amidst intense scrutiny over Feinstein’s age and fitness for office, as she recently returned to the Capitol in a wheelchair after being away for three months due to a shingles diagnosis. There have been numerous reports of her suffering cognitive decline in recent months.
The outlet included the exchange between Feinstein and Warnock as part of larger story about gossip and intrigue among Hill staffers and their lawmaker bosses.
The article claimed that it received the anecdote from "another Senate staffer," who told the outlet, "About a year earlier, Feinstein had approached Senator Tim Scott, stuck out her hand, and told him she had been rooting for him and was so happy to have him serving with her in the Senate."
BIDEN REFUSES TO JOIN DEM CALLS FOR SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN TO RESIGN
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina speaks at a town hall at Saint Anselm College's New Hampshire Institute of Politics, on May 8, 2023 in Goffstown, N.H. (Fox News)
Scott was easy on Feinstein however, with the book reporting, "Scott had played along. ‘Thank you so much,’ he had told Feinstein, according to the staffer who told me about the incident. ‘Your support means a lot.’"
Politico added that Feinstein’s office declined to comment on their story.
Though Feinstein, the oldest current serving U.S. Senator, is intent on continuing to serve until her term ends in 2024, others have insisted that she leave office.
A reporter for the far-left outlet The Intercept went into a Twitter rage on Wednesday, posting the names and pictures of Feinstein's staffers and saying they should be "blacklisted" for not resigning from her office.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has repeatedly called on her to resign.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Sen. Tim Scott ((Left: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS, Center: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz, Right:REUTERS/Allison Joyce/File Photo))
In a recent Twitter statement, Khanna stated, "It’s time for [Feinstein] to resign. We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people."
Feinstein has announced that she will not seek re-election
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