Sen. Tim Scott: Rioting, Justice for Floyd Don't Go Together

Rioting in the streets and justice for George Floyd "do not go together," Sen. Tim Scott said Tuesday, while commending President Donald Trump for striking a "very good tone" for the vast majority of his Rose Garden speech denouncing the violence that has been occurring alongside nationwide protests. 

"The bottom line is for us to have justice for Mr. Floyd," the South Carolina Republican said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "You can not have rioting in the streets...while we want to keep the focus on Mr. Floyd, it has been co-opted by violent protesters."

The violence and looting, he added, came from an "organized effort, a criminal intent" that was not intended as an outcry about Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after now-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, kept his knee pressed on Floyd's neck for minutes during an arrest while Floyd was begging to breathe, said Scott. 

"It's for anarchy, and it's one of the reasons why I like that part of the speech where (Trump) talked about security, not anarchy," Scott said. 

Meanwhile, while anger swirls around Chauvin and three police officers who stood nearby as Floyd begged to breathe, it's still important to respect law enforcement, said Scott. 

Scott also called for community and law enforcement leaders to come together with Trump and say "enough is enough," Scott said. "We will not lose another life, whether it's a blue uniform or a black face, and we don't want death in our country. We're going to stand together because that is what we do as Americans."

Scott said he does think Trump's comments about using the military in the nation's streets, however, may have been "a little bit premature."

"What he is suggesting from my ears is simply this, that governors do your job," said Scott. "In South Carolina, we called out the National Guard on Sunday . . . we have to have that wall there to protect citizens and to allow peaceful protests to happen and the only way for that to happen is for us to quell and then snuff out this violent protest."

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