WATCH: Tim Scott Dodges a Series of Questions About Why He’s Backing Trump, Repeatedly Pivots to Bashing Biden

CNN’s Dana Bash confronted Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) — as he dodged the numerous questions about his endorsement of Donald Trump for 2024.

Scott spoke with Bash on Sunday’s State of the Union — a conversation which began with the CNN anchor asking Scott why he is backing the former president instead of his fellow South Carolinian, former Governor Nikki Haley. After Scott said he informed Haley of his decision before announcing it publicly, Bash referenced a quote from Scott’s own presidential campaign launch — in which he called for his supporters to reject ideas of “victimhood” and “grievance.”

BASH: “Senator, you ran a very positive, very hopeful campaign, but ‘victimhood’ and ‘grievance’ that you were describing in your launch speech that we played some of right there sounds like Donald Trump. Did you change your mind?”

SCOTT: “No, listen. We absolutely, positively, unequivocally need an America that’s not filled with victims. I’m actually talking about how Joe Biden has destroyed our economy and made victims out of people waiting for the government to show up. I’m talking about having a president who’s weaponizing the DOJ against political adversaries. We need Lady Justice wearing a blindfold. I want America, every single American in every corridor of this nation of confidence in their DOJ, not a Biden-led DOJ…”

“You don’t see any grievance in Donald Trump’s campaign for president?” Bash asked Scott after he finished his monologue. After the senator answered with more claims about the DOJ being “weaponized” against Trump, Bash noted how Scott offered his endorsement by adulating Trump as the one who will “restore law and order.”

This prompted Bash to remind Scott of the numerous legal battles surrounding Trump’s re-election effort. The senator deflected from addressing any of the former president’s cases— which led to an extensive back-and-forth over Trump calling January 6th prisoners “hostages.”

BASH: “As president, he did try to overturn a legitimate election. He called January 6th rioters ‘hostages’ and promised to pardon them. He is charged with keeping classified documents and obstructing attempts to get them back. And on the campaign now, he’s arguing that presidents should have total immunity, even if they, ‘cross the line.’ How is that ‘law and order?'”

SCOTT: “Well, he has a legal team that could answer the questions of the legal challenges that he faces. But what I can tell you is that when you look around the cities, when you grow up in poor communities like I did and you watch the crime ravishing your communities, you ask yourself, what president has allowed that to happen? It’s Joe Biden…”

BASH: “Senator, I understand that you’re talking about Joe Biden, but I do want to get your thoughts in a more fulsome way on Donald Trump, because your endorsement was a big deal and is a big deal. I just want to take one of the examples that I gave. Donald Trump calls the January 6th rioters ‘hostages.’ You were at the Capitol that day. You said that you took off your jacket, rolled up your sleeves, and you were prepared to defend yourself, ‘presumably until I died.’ Would you call the people who are now facing prosecution ‘Hostages?'”

SCOTT: I would say that every single person facing our justice system should have justice done…

Finally, Bash brought up the racially-charged insults Trump has been using against Haley of late — including his attempt to revive birtherism by claiming that Haley is ineligible to be president because her parents weren’t U.S. citizens when she was born.

“Are you comfortable with that kind of rhetoric from the former president?” Bash asked. Scott answered by once again pivoting to bash President Biden, saying “the rhetoric from Joe Biden is terrible and it’s salacious.”

SCOTT: Nikki Haley questions whether 70-year-olds should be allowed to run for president. I think there is so much negativity and toxicity in this aim to becoming president again, or for the first time, that we should be very clear and look at both sides of the comments made. What I can tell you, the average voter is more interested in their future and their kids than they are the comments being thrown by political…

BASH: “Would you rather that the man that you endorsed not use names like ‘Nimarada,’ seeming to try to make a point to his supporters?”

SCOTT: “Well, I would like for all politicians to comport themselves in a way that is consistent with the highest office. On the campaign trail, people say things and interestingly enough, then after the campaign’s over, everybody unites. What we need in the Republican Party is to start uniting behind one candidate. That candidate is only going to be Donald Trump. So when we’re thinking about what’s next, it shouldn’t be attacks against each other, we should turn our attention to Joe Biden and to the American people and what they want.

Watch above via CNN.