House GOP Leader slams Kamala Harris for 'purely political vote' to stall police reform

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday slammed Senate Democrats for blocking GOP Sen. Tim Scott's police reform bill, specifically naming fellow Californian Sen. Kamala Harris.

"My own senator, I know her craving to be vice president, made a political decision yesterday to not even allow it to be debated. How does she answer all those in California that maybe crave to have some reform?" McCarthy said about Wednesday's vote.

Scott, of South Carolina, led Senate Republicans' efforts to improve and reform police departments following the May 25 death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd while in police custody. Floyd's death sparked nationwide demonstrations for change. 

"How does she answer to the Floyd family that she would not even debate the issue or allow it to come up? Because that's what that vote was; it was a purely political vote and that's wrong," McCarthy said.

Harris is considered a top contender to be Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate.

"You take what we're offering you, even if it's crumbs on the table," Harris said, referring to Scott and fellow Senate Republicans' bill. "Well, we’re not going to go for that."

All Senate Democrats opposed advancing Scott's bill aside from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Alabama Sen. Doug Jones. 

McCarthy also said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer "apparently made the decision to kill these bills – that will not stop us from working trying to solve it."

"Democrats on the Senate side would not even allow the bill to come up. Do they care about the issue or do they want to play politics?" he also said.

Scott, one of three African American senators, announced before the vote on the Senate floor that he was open to considering any amendments the Democrats proposed but the bill stalled amid Democrat opposition. 

In a speech after Democrats blocked the bill, Scott said Democrats do not necessarily disagree with the contents of the bill but they oppose "who" proposed it.

"The who matters. They cannot allow this party to be seen as a party that reaches out to all communities in this nation and unfortunately without the kind of objectivity in the media that is necessary to share the message of what's actually happening, no one will ever know," he said.

Sen. Tim Kaine, one of the Democrats who voted against advancing Scott's bill, called Scott's argument a "stiff charge," explaining that he voted "no" for another reason.

"I voted no on the how. We tried it the wrong way. Let's try it the right way," he said. 

Congressional Democrats have already proposed their police reform bill. Senate Democrats have said Scott's reform bill didn't go far enough.