Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a staunch Trump ally, said on Sunday that he believed the former president’s actions on Jan 6 could be considered part of the president doing their job. Graham argued that Trump’s status as president could protect him from prosecution.
Question and Answer
Graham was talking with Margaret Brennan, host of “Face the Nation,” who asked him, “Do you stand by that statement that Mr. Trump could be prosecuted and criminally liable?” Brennan referred to Graham’s previous warning that Trump would be subject to the “law of the land” for his actions on Jan 6.
Graham’s Response
“It depends on what the conduct is,” Graham responded. “If you’re doing your job as president — and Jan 6 he was still president — trying to find out if the election, you know, was on the up and up, I think his immunity claim — I don’t know how it will bear out — but I think it’s a legitimate claim.”
Immunity or No?
“Nobody is immune from the law,” Graham said. “But you do have presidential immunity to do your job.”
What Trump Didn’t Do
Trump “didn’t break into the Capitol,” Graham pointed out. That fact, while accurate, is not particularly relevant to the case against the former president, which hinges on whether he fomented an insurrection through his encouragement to the people who did break into the Capitol.
What Trump Did Do
Trump encouraged his supporters to come to Washington, D.C., on Jan 6. He then told the gathered crowd to “fight like hell,” repeating his false claims about the election being stolen.
Dismissal
On Sunday, Graham dismissed all that as “fiery speech,” saying that Trump is “not the first guy to ever do that.”
Looming Election
With the election looming, the judge overseeing the federal election case made efforts to have things done before the election. However, with the Supreme Court now involved, things have become tangled; Graham predicted on Sunday that the case will not go to trial before the election.
Trump’s Legal Woes
The Jan 6 case, however, is just one of several legal battles Trump is fighting. He faces a total of 91 felony criminal charges.
Flip-Flop
Graham’s comments on Sunday differed from previous statements he’s made about Trump’s actions. In 2022, for example, the senator said Trump “went too far” on Jan 6.
Trump Ally
In 2022, the Atlantic listed Graham as one of “the most pathetic men in America.” The magazine described the senator and other Republicans as “cowards” who “are still doing Trump’s bidding.”
Coward?
Graham’s defense of Trump allegedly mishandling classified information prompted the former CIA director John Brennan to call him a “spineless coward.” “It makes me angry when I hear people like Lindsey Graham make excuses and apologies for Donald Trump,” Brennan said in June this year on MSNBC. “Those are the words of a spineless coward, quite frankly, who is frightened by Donald Trump and is frightened by those individuals who still cling to an image of Donald Trump as being this very strong leader, which he is not.”
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