Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has removed Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who attempted to oust him as the GOP’s Senate leader, from the powerful Commerce Committee.
McConnell didn’t only remove Scott from the Commerce Committee but also Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), who supported Scott’s bid to oust McConnell.
Their removal from the Commerce Committee — a panel with broad jurisdiction over several federal agencies — comes months after McConnell promised that he didn’t take the ousting attempt personally.
However, this move confirms to conservatives that McConnell’s iron grip on Senate leadership is not to be messed with, given the cost associated with such moves.
In an interview, Scott touched on his sudden departure from the Commerce Committee, explaining that “McConnell got to pick,” adding, “He kicked me off; he kicked Lee off.”
The Florida Republican acknowledged that his pursuit of the Senate leadership was likely the reason for being booted from the panel. However, he held seniority in the Committee and, prior to being on the panel, had experience running a major company.
Scott also listed his credentials, saying, “I probably ran the biggest company almost any senator in the history of the country has ever run,” referring to the company he co-founded, Columbia Hospital Corporation.
Scott went on to say, “I was governor of the third-biggest economy in the United States, Florida,” asserting, “I’ve got a business background.”
Scott also revealed he learned of his removal from the panel via text message.
However, a Republican aide familiar with Scott and Lee’s removal insisted that McConnell removed them because the GOP lost a Senate seat and incoming Senators wanted Committee positions.