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WHAT THEY’RE SEEING: Rick Scott Reminds Everyone He “Took Responsibility” for the Largest Medicare Fraud in History
Rick Scott was in New York yesterday skipping votes, kissing up to Trump, and reminding everyone that he oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in history. Scott mistakenly thought no one would remember how he “took responsibility” for his company defrauding Medicare recipients and military families out of millions.
See below for a roundup of coverage:
MSNBC, The ReidOut: Trump Sycophant Rick Scott Attends His Trial
– Joy Reid: “Let’s unpack why the Justice Department went after Rick Scott’s former company, HCA. The Department joined eight whistleblower lawsuits alleging HCA defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and military TRICARE. HCA reached a settlement agreeing to pay $1.7 billion in penalties in the largest Medicare fraud case in history – with much of the defrauding happening under Rick Scott’s watch.”
– “[Rick Scott] says he ‘took responsibility’ for the fraud in his former company. He also walked away from it all with $300 million in stocks, making him one of the richest members of Congress.”
– “So he’s really just another member of the oligarch class lining up at the Trump trough because they want total control of this country.”
MSNBC, All In With Chris Hayes: Rick Scott Misses Senate Vote to Attend Trump Trial
– Chris Hayes: “Imagine having your very own United States Senator, a man so embarrassingly obsequious he’s willing to travel to New York, missing a vote in DC, to come to your criminal trial and humiliate himself outside in the street in public like a sad ventriloquist puppet, doing all the whining Trump is legally barred from doing.”
CNN: Sen. Scott Attacks Prosecutor and Judge’s Daughter, Who Trump Can’t Go After Under Gag Order
– Anderson Cooper: “Interesting to see Scott there singing the song Trump wants him to sing.”
– Alyssa Farah Griffin: “I mean it was so thirsty.”
– Kaitlin Collins: “The Senate was voting today. They were casting votes on important bills today.”
Miami Herald: Rick Scott tries to rewrite history on $1.7 billion Medicare fraud controversy
– But U.S. Sen. Rick Scott went out of his way, quite literally, on Thursday to attend former President Donald Trump’s hush-money trial in Manhattan and remind Americans that he once ran a healthcare company that was slapped with the largest Medicare fraud fine in U.S. history.
– But in comparing himself to Trump, Scott — who is seeking reelection to the Senate this November — is also trying to rewrite history. Scott himself acknowledged years ago that his company had “made mistakes.”
Huffington Post: Rick Scott Misses Senate Vote To Join Donald Trump At His Hush Money Trial
– Scott said Trump had not asked him to come and that he came of his own volition because Trump’s prosecution reminded Scott of when he was fined $1.7 billion for defrauding Medicare during his time as CEO of Columbia/HCA, a for-profit hospital company.
– Scott, however, acknowledged years ago that his company had “made mistakes” and that he “took responsibility” for its actions.
MSNBC: Does Rick Scott really want to relitigate his Medicare scandal?
– The Senate was in session yesterday, though Sen. Rick Scott missed some of the proceedings on Capitol Hill. It wasn’t because of an illness or a family matter, but rather, the Florida Republican decided to attend Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York City.
– If Scott, who’s up for re-election this year, really wants to relitigate this, we can, but it seems like a topic he should want to avoid.
Rolling Stone: Rick Scott Suggests He Was ‘Persecuted’ Over Giant Medicare Fraud
– Scott, the former governor of Florida, was previously the CEO of Columbia/HCA — now known as HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest hospital chain. He resigned from Columbia/HCA after the FBI began a probe that ultimately resulted in the company paying $1.7 billion in fines to settle charges of rampant Medicare fraud. The fines were a record at the time.
– According to the Miami Herald, “federal investigators found that Scott took part in business practices at Columbia/HCA that were later found to be illegal — specifically, that Scott and other executives offered financial incentives to doctors in exchange for patient referrals, in violation of federal law, according to lawsuits the Justice Department filed against the company in 2001.”
– The comments represent a major shift for Scott, who has long apologized for the company’s behavior.
– He even apologized in an FAQ section on his website: “I’ve made mistakes in my life. And mistakes were certainly made at Columbia/HCA,” he said on the website.