Steve Scalise says Pelosi ripping up Trump's speech was "disgraceful"
House Republican Whip Steve Scalise slammed Speaker Nancy Pelosi for ripping up President Trump's speech after he concluded his remarks on Tuesday evening, calling the action "disgraceful."
"I thought it was disgraceful. It's unbecoming of a speaker," Scalise said in an interview with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett for "The Takeout" podcast. "Frankly, Speaker Pelosi should apologize as well, because it's not the image she should want to portray as the speaker of the House."
When Garrett pointed out that Pelosi said she ripped the speech because it was a "manifesto of mistruths," Scalise questioned whether Democrats were disrespecting the White House guests at the speech, which included a former Tuskegee airman and a soldier reunited with his family.
"I think she at a minimum owes a deep apology to the president and the country," Scalise said.
Scalise also expressed confidence that Mr. Trump would be reelected by a wide margin in the Electoral College. He suggested that Mr. Trump could also win the popular vote in 2020, after losing the popular vote by 3 million votes in 2016.
"The popular vote's a different situation, but look, it's possible," Scalise said, before dismissing the importance of the popular vote. "Ultimately, it's like the Super Bowl. You don't get the trophy for getting more yards than the other team. You get the trophy for getting more points."
Scalise also disagreed with Republican senators like Lisa Murkowski and Lamar Alexander who voted to acquit Mr. Trump in the impeachment trial, but said the president's behavior had been "inappropriate." Scalise said that Mr. Trump had done nothing inappropriate or wrong when he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate a political rival.
"The president's done his job," Scalise said.
Mr. Trump singled out Scalise in his speech touting his acquittal on Friday, praising him for his loyalty.
For more of Major's conversation with Steve Scalise, download "The Takeout" podcast on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify and Stitcher. New episodes are available every Friday morning. Also, you can watch "The Takeout" on CBSN Friday at 5pm, 9pm, and 12am ET and Saturday at 1pm, 9pm, and 12am ET. For a full archive of "The Takeout" episodes, visit www.takeoutpodcast.com. And you can listen to "The Takeout" on select CBS News Radio affiliates (check your local listings).
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