‘Come on, Senator’: Dana Bash Confronts Tim Scott Over Election Comments

During a tense exchange on CNN’s State of the Union, host Dana Bash pressed Senator Tim Scott about former President Donald Trump’s claims regarding potential election fraud.

Bash confronted Scott regarding Trump's allies hinting that the election results might be fraudulent, citing Steve Bannon's recent comments.

“One of Donald Trump‘s allies, Steve Bannon, who was released from prison this week, told the New York Times that Trump should simply declare victory on election night regardless of the results,” Bash stated. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia

Bash pressed Scott directly: "Will you urge the former president not to prematurely declare victory again and allow the process to play out so the American people can trust the final legitimate outcome?" Rhododendrites / Wikimedia

Scott sidestepped the question, responding, "We are looking forward to a very good day on Tuesday night without any question. I'm excited to see the battleground states that we've just talked about are all leaning towards Trump. So the good news is, we will have a fair election and Donald Trump will be our next president." U.S. Senate Photographic Studio-Renee Bouchard / Wikimedia

Bash, unsatisfied with the senator's responses, continued, "I appreciate your optimism—that's your job on the eve of the election—but what I'm asking about is what if he doesn't win? The fact of the matter is that Trump is already spreading false claims about cheating in Pennsylvania. He has repeatedly predicted a massive victory even though polls show that the race is very close. He's setting the stage for his supporters not to believe the results if he loses. Do you want him to stop doing that?" Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia

Scott maintained his stance, saying, "I would never tell any candidate on the ballot to talk about what happens if they lose. Obviously, you're going to lean into the victory, especially—" Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia

Bash interjected, "I appreciate that, senator, forgive me, but spreading false rumors, saying false things about fraud—you think it's okay to spread false rumors about fraud and undermine the integrity of the election regardless of what happens?" cottonbro studio / Pexels

Scott responded, "Dana, the liberal media has done a better job of spreading misinformation." Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia

An exasperated Bash retorted, "Oh, come on, senator! I can't let go of the fact that you are saying it's the media spreading claims. It is not true. It is Donald Trump saying things just about Pennsylvania, just one example, that local officials are saying is not true. We saw what happened on January 6th as a result of that and many other things. You were there at the Capitol. Are you saying right now you want to leave this conversation and say you are okay with his rhetoric?" Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia

Scott concluded without directly answering the question: "I'm confident that he's going to win without any question. And, yes, I do believe that we will have a fair election. We will honor the results and we will celebrate the 47th president being Donald Trump." Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia