Tim Scott Won't Condemn Trump Over Claim Biden Was Prepared To Kill Him In Mar-a-Lago Raid

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), one of the candidates at the top of Donald Trump’s vice-presidential shortlist, refused to condemnthe former president’s false allegations that the FBI was “locked & loaded ready” to take him out during the 2022 raid of his Mar-a-Lago property.

In a fundraising email sent last week, Trump claimed the FBI agents who searched his Florida home for classified documents he took with him upon leaving the White House were prepared to shoot him, in a move he alleged was orchestrated by President Joe Biden in order to intimidate him.

“It’s just been revealed that Biden’s DOJ was authorized to use DEADLY FORCE for their DESPICABLE raid in Mar-a-Lago,” the email reads. “You know they’re just itching to do the unthinkable… Joe Biden was locked & loaded ready to take me out & put my family in danger.”

Trump appeared to be twisting the essence of standard language used in the search warrant that authorizes the use of deadly force only if necessary. Attorney General Merrick Garland said this “standard operations plan for searches” was even used when the FBI searched Biden’s home for documents, and called Trump’s claims “extremely dangerous.” (Biden was under investigation over his handling of classified documents but was ultimately not charged.)

In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Scott took Trump’s side as he repeatedly deflected questions about the former president’s comments.

“I haven’t found myself agreeing with Attorney General Garland on any issue,” Scott said. “I will say I saw the video of the SWAT team from the FBI raiding Mar-a-Lago. I have not seen the same video of them raiding Joe Biden’s garage. So I’d love to have that comparison.”

The South Carolina Republican claimed that