CNN anchor John King roasted Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) on Wednesday for falsely claiming on Fox News that his Republican policy proposal doesn’t contain a tax hike for millions of Americans.
“Reading is fundamental,” King helpfully reminded the Republican lawmaker while holding up a copy of his agenda.
Scott, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chair, released his “11 Point Plan to Rescue America” on Tuesday to widespread mockery and even groans from within his own party. Besides pushing standard right-wing culture-war issues and demanding the completion of a Donald Trump-named border wall, Scott proposed raising income taxes on low-income Americans so they “have skin in the game.”
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Rather than rally around his conservative blueprint, Politico reported that Republican officials from top Senate campaigns have privately mocked Scott’s agenda, questioning why the party would even suggest raising taxes during a midterm election featuring inflation as the top issue.
During a Tuesday night appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, amid Democrats blasting his proposal, Scott denied that his plan that explicitly raises taxes on over half of America actually would raise taxes.
“By the way, did you see Chuckie Schumer say that your plan is to raise taxes on more than half of Americans? I didn’t see that in your plan. Did you have that in your plan? Was that in invisible ink in the copy that I got?” Hannity asked.
“Of course not,” Scott replied. “No.”
Covering Scott’s plan on Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s Inside Politics, King noted that the Florida lawmaker was “on another network” insisting that Democrats were lying by saying he was proposing tax hikes. He then aired the clip of Scott assuring Hannity he wasn’t calling for increased taxes.
“Let’s help Sen. Scott there,” King said, holding a copy of Scott’s plan. “Reading is fundamental. I was taught that when I was young.”
He continued: “It’s right here in Senator Scott’s plan: ‘All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount. Currently, over half of Americans pay no income tax.’ It’s right there. You can defend that proposal if you want. Instead, he denies it exists in his own plan.”
CNN political reporter Nia Malika-Henderson followed up by knocking Hannity a bit, pointing out that Scott’s tax proposals were “not in invisible ink.”
