Scalise Blasts Dems for Playing Games with COVID Relief

WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends to discuss how Speaker Pelosi has refused to provide a clear answer on if Democrat leadership knew about Rep. Eric Swalwell’s ties to a Chinese spy when he was hand-placed on the House Intelligence Committee and why he remains on the Intelligence Committee today.  

Whip Scalise also called on Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to stop playing politics with COVID-19 relief and to hold a vote on bipartisan legislation such as Paycheck Protection Program funding to provide immediate relief to small businesses. 
 

 
On the resignation of Attorney General William Barr:
 
"He got to leave on his own terms and, you know, ready to move on. And look, he served a long time there. He came back to help the Trump Administration, and there's a lot to clean up within the Justice Department, there still is. And I think people would still like to see some resolution to review the things outstanding from the last few years. But in the end, he and the President left on good terms, which is most important there."
 
On Rep. Eric Swalwell's reported ties to a Chinese spy and position on the House Intelligence Committee:
 
“No, and in fact, it's alarming the silence is deafening right now on this Swalwell scandal where you had a Chinese spy actually have some kind of relationship with him. A lot of people are asking what was that relationship and how long back does it go?
 
“Reports are that it goes back to when he was a councilman, long before he was in Congress, and that the Chinese spy helped fund the money for him, or actually helped infiltrate his office, got some other people in his office that were probably spies. And then he gets on the House Intelligence Committee just in his second term, which is very alarming. That doesn't happen that often and that quickly. So, the real question there is did Speaker Pelosi know that he had a relationship with a Chinese spy prior to putting him on the House Intelligence Committee? All these questions need to be asked and the bottom line is he should be removed.”
 
On Speaker Pelosi's decision to put Rep. Swalwell on the House Intelligence Committee possibly knowing he had reported ties to a Chinese spy:
 
“Well, first of all, very few people get these private briefings. The bottom line is only Speaker Pelosi puts Democrats on the Intelligence Committee. Our leader, Kevin McCarthy, is the one who puts Republicans on. So, Speaker Pelosi is the only one who put him on, and if she did it knowing that he had this relationship with a Chinese spy and that his office had been infiltrated by the spy, that raises serious questions. But why doesn't she take him off while these answers still haven't yet been resolved? A lot of questions, I mean, we need to get resolved. And it's alarming, again, that you had somebody at this highest level on the House Intelligence Committee that the Chinese had infiltrated.
 
“And by the way, it also raises the question, why did Speaker Pelosi back away from the bipartisan commission on China? We were working on a commission to look into China's wrongdoings on so many fronts and ultimately, Speaker Pelosi backed out. Kevin McCarthy still went forward. [Rep. Mike McCaul] put together a great report from that commission – alarming questions that it raises about China. But why did Speaker Pelosi back away from that just a few months ago?”
 
On the urgent need to pass PPP and provide immediate relief to small businesses:
 
“We need to get it done. And look, going back to September, we've been raising the issue of another round of [Paycheck Protection Program] loans just for those small businesses like you had on earlier. The heartbreaking stories where these governors are just crushing these businesses not based on science.”
 
[…]
 
“[Paycheck Protection Program funding] should have been passed back in September, and for whatever reason, the Speaker held that up. But at the end of the day, we need to get this done. [Democrats] need to stop demanding ridiculous things like bailing out failed states. And then they were trying to give checks to people here illegally in the country. I mean, $1,200 checks to people here illegally but no money for these small businesses. It's got to change. I hope we get this done this week. It should have been done back in September. And these governors need to stop crushing these small businesses. And by the way, it's do as I say, not as I do for these folks because these governors are going out to restaurants and telling you not to.”
 
On the need for Speaker Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to stop playing politics with COVID relief:
 
“If you put it on the Floor today, the things you mentioned that we agree on, it would pass overwhelmingly. And that's why Speaker Pelosi needs to stop playing games on the things we disagree on. Bring the things to the Floor we agree upon. Let's help these small businesses and families who are struggling. It would get done.”
 
[…]
 
“Well, but the Democrats have been blocking it. They have a 60-vote requirement [in the Senate] and it seems like Chuck Schumer wants to keep holding that up. Put the bills on the Floor that we agree on and it would pass overwhelmingly.”