"Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough (Photo: Screen capture)
"Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough probed Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Monday morning as he began promoting his book about his time in elected office. Tillis tried to dodge questions about corruption in the White House.
Tillis was asked about the profits seen by those connected to the administration, but the Senator downplayed the seriousness, saying instead there should be investigation.
"Well, I think next year we'll probably have a Congress that's going to look into that," said Tillis. "I think every administration has some corruption problem. I think it's a fair it's fair game. It's no different than the oversight hearings that we've had in Judiciary. When Democrats or Republicans held the gavel. The American people deserve an answer to that. And I have no problem with a well-thought-out, fair process."
He said one of the reasons he's opposed impeachment in the past is that people treat it as a "vote of no confidence."
"Andso let's be methodical. Let'snot be quick. Let's take thetime. And if the Democrats win the congressionalrace, they take over the gavelsin the House. I have no problemwith them performing theiroversight role," he said.
That's when Scarborough stepped in to question whether Tillis can surly see a difference in what's unfolding during this administration.
"Wherethe president's family hastaken at least $2 to $3 [billion],where sons of the president are getting, what, $600, $700 million loans on new companiesthat are starting up from the Pentagon. Is there anymoral equivalency because yousaid, well, everyadministration has problems," said Scarborough. "You would agree this administration's problems are far more extreme on the issue of corruption than any that we've seen in our lifetime. Right?"
Tillis said that there's a difference between corruption and something that simply looks bad.
"There's a lot of bad looks, but you've got to prove corruption. And I have no problem with going through the due diligence and to provide counsel and to let people go through a process of discovery," Tillis said.
Scarborough wasn't buying it.
"Do you not think these meme coins, wherethe Trumps made billions ofdollars and 98 percent of theirsupporters lost their money? Isthat not corrupt?" he asked.
But Tillis refused to say whether he considered that corruption.
"I think it's worth looking at," Tillis said. "Again, there's a difference between breaking a law and a bad look. I'll give you a good example. And it's this nonsense of an oligarch helping pay for a wedding for Don Jr.'s wedding. My God. Who that's working with Trump, or Don Jr. would have thought that was a good idea? Should that be elected, too? Sure, I think so."
He said that people should defend themselves in the "clear light of day."