Tim Scott says 'the midterm election is about’ Trump: Full interview

[0:00] And joining me now is Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, [0:03] chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. [0:07] Senator Scott, welcome back to Meet the Press in this homestretch. [0:11] Good morning, Kristen. 48 hours to go. It's been exciting. So far, so good. [0:16] Well, here we go. And when I spoke to you, Senator, in August, you said you were very [0:23] confident Republicans were going to hold control of the Senate. So how do you feel now? 48 hours [0:29] to go. Will Republicans hold on to control of the Senate? Well, Kristen, the answer is absolutely [0:36] positively. Unequivocally, yes, we will hold the majority in the Senate. We are in a great position [0:42] to do so. We are also been gifted the most radical, dangerous, weird group of Senate candidates we've [0:49] seen on the Democrat side, frankly, in my lifetime. You think about Troy Jackson in Maine. He said he [0:55] would have run as a communist. James Tallarico in Texas, who says that God is non-binary. He [1:00] believes in six genders. But most importantly, he said that white supremacy and capitalism [1:05] are the same. You go to Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. Here's a guy who cozies up to terrorism. And both [1:14] of his parents either supported or helped fund Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. We're looking at [1:20] incredibly radical candidates. I bring it home, Kristen, to South Carolina, where the Democrat [1:25] candidate Annie Andrews was with the pro-defunded police squad. She says, let's limit the Second [1:32] Amendment. Men should play women in sports. The Democrats, radical, dangerous, weird. [1:40] Well, and I'm going to ask you about the South Carolina race. Annie Andrews said she's opposed to [1:45] men playing in women's sports. Of course, Abdul El-Sayed has said there are no connections between him [1:51] and the groups you're mentioning right there. I do want to talk about South Carolina, though. [1:56] You raised Annie Andrews. Let's talk about South Carolina, though. This is Senator Darlene [2:01] Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, facing off against Democratic candidate Annie [2:07] Andrews. The Wall Street Journal writes this, quote, privately, some Senate Republican campaign [2:13] strategists and Trump advisers have grown alarmed about Graham's race. Several said they believed [2:19] they could have found a better candidate, but the president wanted Graham. Senator, do you share [2:26] their alarm in South Carolina? Well, Darlene Graham is going to win on Tuesday. She's a very strong [2:34] candidate. She's practical, common sense, and she's focused on affordability, which I really appreciate. [2:40] Let's talk about her opponent, Annie Andrews. All you have to do is go to annieschart.com [2:46] and read for yourself what she says from amnesty, pro-gun safety, focusing on limiting the Second [2:54] Amendment, focus on her words about transgender surgery and telling the Medical University of [3:00] South Carolina to F off because she thought they were not strong enough on transgender surgery for [3:07] kids. This is a radical person running in South Carolina. The facts are clear, annieschart.com. [3:15] Read it for yourself what she has said, not what I'm saying, but what she has said. [3:19] The polls are tied, though. Do you believe Senator Darlene Graham is vulnerable on Tuesday? [3:28] She's going to win on Tuesday. I've been traveling the state with her. I watched the enthusiasm and the [3:34] response from the crowds. They have been fantastic. We'll be together tomorrow, crisscrossing South [3:40] Carolina. I'm excited about the way we're finishing. I'm excited about her continuing to be the [3:46] senator. I'm excited about the fact that in three months she had a piece of legislation [3:50] signed into law and she was the deciding vote on our AG, Todd Blanche. [3:55] All right. Well, I want to turn to incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan's race in Alaska. [4:01] The New York Times reporting the campaign of Mary Peltola. The Democratic candidate was involved [4:06] in the effort to get another man named Dan Sullivan on the ballot. Peltola denies any involvement. [4:12] President Trump has called for prosecutions. I know you've said that Peltola should be held [4:17] accountable. You're calling for an investigation. If Mary Peltola wins, Senator, if the race is [4:24] certified, will you accept those results? Well, Dan Sullivan is going to win, Kristen. You know that [4:31] and that's the only thing I'm going to tell you because it's the truth. But what I can tell you about [4:35] the truth is you can't trust Mary Peltola's campaign and the collusion between her campaign [4:41] and the DSCC. Listen, it is immoral, in my opinion, for a candidate to lie about who they are. [4:48] I think it's unethical for a candidate to lie about their opponent. But we know that it is criminal [4:53] for candidates to work in collusion with other parties to confuse voters. And that's exactly what [5:01] decoy Dan has done in Alaska. Let me give you three examples quickly, Kristen. Number one, [5:06] he has mimicked every single piece of the real Dan Sullivan's campaign, the logo, the colors, [5:13] the font. Number two, he tried to change his middle initial to the exact same middle initial [5:19] of the real Dan Sullivan. And number three, Alaskan voters will hold them accountable and elect the [5:26] real Dan Sullivan to be their continuing senator. Well, and even DOJ officials have said they're not [5:32] sure there's criminal activity. That's what they're looking into. But just to go back to my [5:36] original question, Senator, if Mary Peltola wins, if the election is certified, will you accept the [5:42] results of that race? Kristen, two things. Number one, Dan Sullivan, the real Dan Sullivan will win. [5:50] And number two, it actually is a federal offense to confuse voters. That's the law. And that's why you've [5:58] seen the Department of Justice ask for, send out 30 subpoenas. So what we're going to find out very [6:04] quickly is who all was involved in this attempt to confuse the voters. It's okay to expand the ballot, [6:11] but it is not okay to confuse the voters. Senator, you've also seen Alaska's Republican [6:16] attorney general asking the federal government to permanently drop the, quote, [6:22] meritless lawsuit that seeks to block the certification of the election results. [6:26] Should these decisions be left to the states as the Constitution requires, Senator? [6:33] Well, the governor has been very clear. He has opened an investigation as well. [6:38] I think there's no doubt that our voting rights are absolutely incredibly important in this country. [6:44] Confusing and deceiving voters, not right. Also, if you're confusing voters, it's illegal. [6:52] All right. Well, and again, DOJ has said they're not sure that there is anything illegal about it. [6:56] They are looking into it, though. Let me ask you, broadly speaking, you have been on the campaign [7:01] trail, as you just laid out, in the Senate battlegrounds with President Trump. So let me ask [7:07] you, is a vote for a Republican candidate a vote for the Trump agenda? [7:12] There's no doubt that President Trump has said himself that the midterm election [7:18] is about him. He's asked for all Republican voters, frankly, independent, common sense Americans [7:25] to vote for the Republican ticket. Here's why. He said when he's not on the ballot, there's about a [7:30] 49.2% drop in enthusiasm and support. That's why he is saying he's on the ballot. Number two, [7:37] I would tell you that his agenda, without any question, is on the ballot. And number three, [7:41] holding the Senate as a Republican majority is in the best interest of this country. That's why I [7:47] call the Senate the firewall. America is on the ballot. Abdul El-Sayed wants a different America [7:54] than the one that made me possible. That's why I'm asking every single viewer of this show, [7:59] do your homework. And at the conclusion of your homework, I believe you'll be voting Republican [8:05] through and through the most radical, dangerous, weird candidates in America running as Democrats. [8:12] It's this midterm election. This is too important to skip. [8:17] All right. Senator Tim Scott, we're going to stay in close touch from now until election day. Thank you [8:22] so very much for being here. We really appreciate it. God bless, Chris, and take care. Bye-bye. [8:27] You too. Take care.