Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told Breitbart News exclusively on Tuesday evening that she is supporting Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) for Senate GOP leader in the upcoming vote on Wednesday morning in the Senate GOP conference.
Blackburn, who called Breitbart News right after a Senate GOP leadership candidate forum that Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) organized, said the forum helped her make her final decision after hearing from Scott and the other candidates Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and John Cornyn (R-TX).
“I thought it was one of the most helpful and instructive meetings we’ve had,” Blackburn told Breitbart News of the forum. “Of course, people have waited until they could hear each of the three candidates talk about how they would handle the Trump agenda, talk about the election—of course we have been in this meeting since 6 o’clock.”
The forum lasted more than two hours, and Blackburn said there were more than a dozen questions from her fellow senators. Her questions focused on process and on the border–particularly on funding for a wall and for mass deportations.
“They each kind of gave an opening statement and then we went into Q&A,” Blackburn said. “I mentioned in my questions how conservatives are tired of being left out of the floor process and can’t get amendments and when they can the amendment is put at 60 votes because they are going to line it up to fail. We couldn’t get a timeline and we couldn’t get a schedule and there was no democratizing power so conservatives have felt left out. The issue I talked about is the people, and I know in Tennessee that Tennesseans talk a lot about the border and what is going to happen with deportations and wanting criminal illegal aliens out of our country. They want that border wall built.”
She said while each candidate answered her question in the affirmative, she did decide after the meeting to go with Scott as her candidate.
“So I asked them if they are prepared to move forward in step with President Trump because there will be things we need to do legislatively to be certain deportations take place so how are they going to handle that?” Blackburn said. “Are they willing to reject spending bills that do not include that money for deportation and that do not include that money for building the wall? Each of the candidates answered affirmatively that they were supporting what President Trump was articulating and that they would be there and support that. But I’ve decided after the meeting tonight to support Rick.”
This is a developing story and more is coming soon.
