Tim Scott on Dems pushing for nationalization of police: 'That is not the American way'

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Tim Scott on Democrats pushing nationalization of local police: 'That is not the American way'

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) argued America cannot expect better policing amid funding cuts and rampant anti-police rhetoric.

Sen. Tim Scott called out the Democrats for pushing the nationalization of local police departments, arguing that it is ‘not the American way.’ Sen. Scott made those remarks on "America's Newsroom" on Wednesday after Sen. Cory Booker pointed blame at him over the failure to advance a bipartisan police reform bill. 

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TIM SCOTT: Two things are true. I'm still at the table two years in a row. They walked away. More importantly, what they wanted to do were two fundamental things I completely disagree with. Number one is to nationalize all local police. That is not the American way. And number two, there were 11 sections that either reduced funding, made departments ineligible for funding, and that, to me, means defunding the police by a little thousand cuts. Those two things, I will not agree with. We did make progress on the chokeholds and no-knock warrants, we made progress on police cameras, but in the end, change requires resources. We cannot ask police officers to go into some very dangerous situations without the equipment or the manpower. Almost 400 vacancies in Baltimore City right now because they can't recruit officers. You don't demonize, demoralize and defund police and then ask for better policing. It's just not the way… 

Imagine, 81% of African Americans saying that they want the same level of policing or more policing, and the cities that they live in are cutting the police budgets. That sounds contrary to reality. 

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