Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Thursday that it bothers him every time President Trump criticizes the late Sen. John McCain, a longtime friend of Graham’s, as memorial services carry on in Arizona days after McCain’s passing.
Graham told CBS News that it “pisses me off to no end” when Trump goes after McCain. Prior to his passing, McCain was a frequent target of the president, particularly during campaign events when he would mock him for voting against the “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act last summer.
“It bothers me greatly when the president says things about John McCain,” Graham told host John Dickerson. “It pisses me off to no end, and I let the president know it.”
“The way he’s handled the passing of John is just, was disturbing,” Graham said. “We finally got it right. … I am not going to give up on the idea of working with this president. The best way I can honor John McCain is help my country.”
Graham said that he was not among the lawmakers who called the president asking to lower the flag above the White House back down to half-staff on Monday, but he did call some people “around” the president.
Graham revealed to CNN earlier this week that Trump called him after he gave an emotional tribute to McCain, saying, ‘”I just wanted to let you know that you did right by your friend.’”
The South Carolina Republican is one of 24 sitting senators slated to attend McCain’s funeral Thursday in Arizona. He is also expected to deliver remarks at McCain’s funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Saturday along with of former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
