Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) cautioned against rushing to judgment on Tuesday following the FBI’s search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
“This is going to raise more questions, in my opinion,” Scott said during an appearance on “CBS Mornings” to promote his book.
“We need to let this play out and see exactly what happens, but we should all have been stunned and surprised and shocked at what happened yesterday,” he said.
Trump announced on Monday that a large group of FBI agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, condemning the search as political persecution.
Scott on CBS noted that FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, when many Republican lawmakers critiqued the agency for what they viewed as political bias.
Many Republicans are now erupting over yesterday’s search at Mar-a-Lago as the latest example, with some echoing Trump’s comparison to corruption in third-world countries. Some have called for the firing of Wray, who was nominated by Trump, and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“There’s been lots of questions before this raid about whether or not the FBI is doing their job apolitical, and we don’t know the answer to that question yet,” said Scott.
The FBI and Department of Justice have declined to comment on the search.
The search has led to swirling speculation over the FBI’s rationale and if it will lead to eventual prosecution against Trump. Scott on Tuesday urged the public to tamp down their speculation.
“I think we should really, as opposed to rushing to judgment, the most important thing that we can do is let it play out,” Scott said. “Because I have no idea what they were looking for, and I don’t think anybody knows what they were looking for.”
Eric Trump, the president’s son, said on Fox News on Monday evening that the search was focused on the handling of documents sought by the National Archives and that the former president had been cooperating with federal agents for months.
Scott on CBS argued that the greater the focus on Trump becomes, the more likely it is that his supporters will rally around him.
“It has to be something of incredible magnitude for at least my side of the aisle to say that was warranted,” Scott said. “Without that, I think we’re going to find ourselves in a very big mess as it relates to the credibility of the FBI.”
