For nearly seven hours on Wednesday, the House impeachment managers showed clips of the violence from inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, some of which had never been seen before by the public. The impeachment managers then interlaced those videos with a timeline of Trump’s words and actions from that day.
After viewing the videos, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, told NBC News that he thinks the Senate trial is a “complete waste of time.”
"I'm disgusted that, you know, people think that they can do things like that and get away with it. I hope everybody that came into the Capitol and did the wrong thing gets prosecuted to the full extent of law," Scott said.
Asked if he thinks Trump bears any responsibility for the attack, Scott said, "Look, I've been clear that I wish the president had said something faster when they broke into it, but, you know, I've watched what he said. He's never said when somebody should break in — [he] actually said that people should do this peacefully."
"This is a complete waste of time," he continued. "It's not doing anything to help American families, it's not helping people get jobs, it's not helping get the vaccine out ... it's vindictive."
Scott's words echo a video posted on Tuesday by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida.
“There isn’t a single American that’s going to get a vaccine because of this impeachment trial. There isn’t a single American that’s going to find a job because of this impeachment trial. There isn’t a single thing that’s going to happen to make us safer from the threat of China from this impeachment trial,” Rubio said.
Both Rubio and Scott faced criticism for not paying attention during the trial.
"Marco Rubio tried to stay busy with papers. So did Rick Scott of Florida,"Former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill told the Palm Beach Post.
Democrats have argued that Trump should be held accountable for his role in inciting the riot. If convicted, lawmakers could bar Trump from seeking elected office in the future.
It's unlikely Trump will face conviction, as Senate Republicans have largely remained supportive of the former president.
This story was originally published by Victoria Lewis on WPTV in Palm Beach, Florida.
