South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham hates that he is likely to end up presiding over an impeachment trial in the Senate.
“I have nothing but disdain for this,” Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Sunday on Face the Nation. “What you’re doing in the House is bad for the presidency.”
Recommended Stories
Graham directed his comments toward House Democrats, who have introduced and are expected to soon vote on two articles of impeachment against President Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The articles argue Trump behaved in a way that is contrary to the national interest when he pressed a foreign government to investigate a political rival. Impeachment proceedings in the House were triggered by an intelligence community whistleblower report about a July 25 call between Trump and the president of Ukraine. A transcript of the call, later released by the White House, shows Trump asking the foreign leader to “do us a favor” and investigate allegations of corruption by 2020 Democratic front-runner Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
In defending Trump, congressional Republicans have said there was nothing wrong with the call and that the president was merely trying to root out corruption in Ukraine. Democrats, Graham said, simply hate Trump and are hell-bent on removing him from office at whatever cost.
“This is the first impeachment trial being driven by partisan politicians, conducted behind closed doors,” Graham said. “The testimony was selectively leaked. The president was denied the ability to participate in the House hearing.”
Democrats have subpoenaed several top Trump administration officials, but the White House has said it has no intention of cooperating with the proceedings, citing a “highly partisan and unconstitutional” process.
The two articles of impeachment are expected to be introduced to the full House for a floor vote next week. If they pass as expected, a jury trial would be held in the Senate in January.
Graham and Senate leadership have alluded to a speedy, fair, and less dramatic trial.
“I think this whole thing is a crock,” he said. “You’re shutting the president out. The process in the House, any partisan group, could do this in the future. You’re weaponizing impeachment, and I want to end it.”
