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https://youtu.be/5sFZo6nN2QA
This
morning,
U.S.
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
joined
Morning
Joe’s
Joe
Scarborough
and
Mika
Brzezinski
to
preview
his
testimony
before
today’s
Senate
Judiciary
Subcommittee
on
Crime
and
Terrorism’s
hearing
entitled “Body
Cameras:
Can
Technology
Increase
Protection
for
Law
Enforcement
Officers
and
the
Public?”
in
226
Dirksen
Senate
Office
Building
at
2:30pm.
The
hearing
will
be
live
on
the
Senate
Judiciary’s
website,
C-SPAN3
and
C-SPAN
Radio.
*****
Partial
Transcript:
MIKA
BRZEZINSKI:
Joining
us
now
from
Capitol
Hill,
Republican
senator
Tim
Scott
of
South
Carolina.
Later
today,
he'll
testify
before
the
Senate
Judiciary
Subcommittee
on
Crime
and
Terrorism
regarding
the
use
of
body
cameras
by
police
officers.
Very
good
to
have
you
on
the
show
this
morning.
SENATOR
SCOTT:
Thank
you
it’s
good
to
be
back.
JOE
SCARBOROUGH:
So
Senator,
what
are
you
going
to
be
saying
today
about
the
need
for
body
cameras?
SENATOR
SCOTT:
I
think
when
you
look
around
the
country
at
the
number
of
incidents
that
have
come
to
light
because
of
the
use
of
cameras;
it's
very
important
for
us
to
take
the
next
step
forward
and
figure
out
the
funding
formula
that’s
necessary
to
make
sure
that
the
law
enforcement
agencies
that
need
body
cameras
have
access
to
the
funding.
What
I
don't
want
to
come
out
of
the
hearing
today
is
any
indication
that
the
federal
government
should
take
over
local
law
enforcement.
But
it
is
very
important
for
us,
if
possible,
to
provide
some
funding
when
and
where
necessary.
The
fact
of
the
matter
is
that
when
you
look
at
the
studies
done,
a
90%
drop
in
complaints
against
officers
and
a
60%
drop
in
the
use
of
force
when
body
cameras
are
part
of
the
uniform
of
law
enforcement.
BARNICLE:
What
indications
do
you
think,
Senator,
are
out
there
now
that
the
federal
government
is
interested
in
taking
over
local
law
enforcement?
SENATOR
SCOTT:
Well,
I’ll
tell
you,
I’ve
met
with
more
than
two
dozen
groups
and
individuals
who
are
very
interested
in
engaging
in
the
process
of
having
body
cameras.
Their
biggest
concern
that
I
hear
besides
–
BARNICLE:
You
think
body
cameras
are
part
of
the
federal
government's
government
attempt
to
take
over
local
law
enforcement?
SENATOR
SCOTT:
Some
people
believe
that
if
you
provide
funding
for
body
cameras,
the
question
is
what
strings
come
attached
to
it.
So
many
of
the
groups
have
asked
that
specific
question.
Actually
almost
every
group
that
has
come
in
from
the
sheriff's
association,
to
mayors’
conference,
attorney
generals
conference,
all
ask
about
the
role
of
the
local
law
enforcement
and
the
role
of
the
federal
government
and
how
do
we
fuse
those
two
together?
I
think
the
answer
is
you
don’t.
You
provide
funding
and
you
allow
local
law
enforcement
to
be
in
charge
of
local
law
enforcement.
PHIL
MATTINGLY:
Senator,
I
want
to
shift
a
little
bit
to
the
political
side.
Your
state
is
getting
a
lot
of
visits
these
days;
you
potentially
have
a
colleague,
the
senior
senator
from
South
Carolina,
who
has
basically
said
he’s
getting
into
the
race.
Are
you
willing
to
endorse
Lindsey
Graham
when
he
gets
in
on
June
1st?
or
How
do
you
position
yourself
as
all
of
these
individuals
come
to
your
state?
SENATOR
SCOTT:
Well
I
have,
for
the
last
election
cycle,
hosted
a
Tim’s
Town
Hall
-
Presidential
Town
Hall
-
where
I
invite
every
single
candidate
into
a
town
hall
meeting,
one
on
one
with
my
constituents,
I
will
continue
to
do
so,
in
order
to
do
that
objectively
you
have
to
remain
on
the
sidelines
to
let
each
candidate
have
an
opportunity
before
an
audience.
Then
at
the
end
of
that
I
may
be
in
a
position
to
endorse
some
candidate,
I’m
not
sure
exactly
which
one
at
this
point,
we
have
to
hear
from
all
the
candidate’s
first.
I
am
certainly
excited
and
looking
forward
to
the
93
or
94
candidates
that
are
now
involved
in
the
Republican
primary.
SCARBOROUGH:
It
just
keeps
growing.
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