With Republicans taking back the House of Representatives during the 2022 midterm election cycle, several House Democrats have cried foul after being removed from their respective committees. However, in the upper chamber, after Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) was removed from the Senate Commerce Committee, the former Florida Governor is now pointing the finger at his own party leadership.
In November, Sen. Scott challenged Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to lead Senate Republicans but ultimately failed, losing in a 37-10 vote. Senator McConnell’s victory made him the longest-serving Republican leader in the Senate in history.
However, Sen. Scott believes that because he challenged Senator McConnell, the Minority Leader has used his power to kick him off the committee.
“This is what happens when you challenge leadership. It was McConnell’s decision to remove someone who has actually run businesses and ran the third largest state from a committee I’ve served on for four years. You’ll have to ask him why," said Sen. Scott in a statement to The Floridian.
According to Fox News, Scott still believes he “did the right thing” despite being demoted from the Commerce Committee.
Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) initially attempted to delay the leadership vote to allow then-candidate Herschel Walker (R) a chance to have a say should he have won in the December runoff.
Currently, Scott is attempting to create a bipartisan, bicameral Joint Select Committee on the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He says it will follow the precedent of the joint committee created after the Iran-Contra Affair.
“For over a year, I have called for a bipartisan and bicameral investigation into the Biden administration’s failed withdrawal of American forces and my calls have been met with silence. That’s why today, I am reintroducing my bill to establish a bipartisan and bicameral Joint Select Committee on Afghanistan to conduct a full investigation and compile a joint report on the United States tragically failed withdrawal from Afghanistan. It’s time to put partisan politics aside and demand accountability,” Scott exclaimed.
Scott defeated longtime Florida Senator Bill Nelson (D) in 2018. His term as Senator will end in January of 2025.
