Tim Scott’s speech on race and policing is turned into a debate question | McClatchy Washington Bureau

A personal speech Sen. Tim Scott gave on the Senate floor about the “sadness and humiliation” of being targeted by police was turned into a question at the vice presidential debate on Tuesday night.

Mike Pence was asked what he would tell the Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, about the issues with racial profiling he spoke about. In his speech, Scott said he was stopped seven times by police in a single year, and spoke about the “anger, frustration, sadness and humiliation that comes with feeling like you're being targeted for nothing more than being yourself.”

Pence, who called Scott a “close friend,” responded by talking about criminal justice reform and supporting law enforcement.

“We have got to do a better job recognizing and correcting the errors in the system that do reflect on institutional bias in criminal justice,” he said. “But what (...) Donald Trump and I are saying is let's not have the reflex of assuming the worst of men and women in law enforcement.”

Pence then tried to steer the conversation to a defense of stop-and-frisk policies supported by Donald Trump. The controversial policing tactic has been criticized by Scott, who last month said “you don’t have to violate the Constitution to keep people safe.”

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine interrupted Pence, calling Scott’s speech an “eloquent plea,” and saying that there is “a fundamental respect issue here.” He then listed several insulting statements made by Donald Trump.

Neither vice presidential candidate answered the question in terms of what they would tell Scott about his experiences.

Scott’s speech was one of several he gave on the Senate floor after several police shootings of black men this summer, and the retaliatory killing of police officers in Dallas.