Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., accused House Democrats of “undercutting an important foreign policy effort” by having President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen appear before the House Oversight Committee while the president attends a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam.
“A new low for House Democrats: holding hearings with Michael Cohen while President Trump negotiates with North Korea about giving up their nuclear arsenal,” Graham said in a statement Wednesday.
“Democrats’ hatred of Trump is undercutting an important foreign policy effort and is way out of line. If Republicans had pulled such a stunt, the mainstream media would be outraged!” Graham said.
New Low for House Democrats:
Holding hearings with Michael Cohen while President @realDonaldTrump negotiates with North Korea about giving up their nuclear arsenal.
Democrats hatred of Trump is undercutting an important foreign policy effort and is way out of line.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 27, 2019
Graham, who was become a leading support of the president, is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Trump is currently meeting with Kim in Hanoi, Vietnam in an effort to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders met in Singapore in June 2018, where they signed a declaration to “work toward complete denuclearization” and work toward “a lasting and stable peace regime.”
Simultaneously, Cohen is testifying before the House oversight panel Wednesday, after appearing privately before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. He’s also slated to appear before the House Intelligence Committee behind closed doors on Thursday.
Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations concerning hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump. Cohen, who was sentenced in 2018 to serve three years in prison for the crimes, told lawmakers Wednesday that Trump knew of the payments.
Trump has denied both affairs.
