Maybe he did ‘wrong,’ but Dems not right: Sen.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared to admit Thursday that Democrats have good reason to investigate President Trump for impeachable offenses — he just doesn’t like the way they’re doing it.
The Trump-boosting Republican made the concession at a Capitol Hill press conference after announcing he’s introducing a resolution in the upper chamber that condemns the House for conducting an “unfair” impeachment inquiry.
“I’m not here to tell you that Donald Trump has done nothing wrong,” Graham said at the tail end of the appearance. “I’m here to tell you the way they’re going about it is really dangerous for the country.”
Echoing the White House, Graham’s resolution argues the Democratic probe is illegitimate because the House hasn’t taken a full floor vote to initiate it, as was done ahead of the impeachment inquiries of Bill Clinton and
Richard Nixon.
The resolution, which is unlikely to pass as it needs 60 votes, calls on the House to hold such a vote and also give Republicans equal subpoena power in the probe.
Lastly, the measure, which was co-introduced with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (RKy.), says Trump should “like every other American” be afforded “due process” by being able to “confront his accusers” and call witnesses.
Graham, who spearheaded Bill Clinton’s impeachment, claimed the tables would be turned if a GOP-controlled House conducted an inquiry similar to this one of a Democratic president.
“I think if we were doing this, you would beat the s—t out of us,” Graham told assembled reporters at the press conference. “You would be calling us every sort of bad word, and we would deserve it.”
Despite Graham’s claims, House rules do not necessitate that the full chamber votes before an impeachment inquiry can begin. Moreover, Republican members are sitting in on all impeachment proceedings, including closed-door depositions. The only prerequisite is that they sit on one of the three committees conducting the inquiry.
Lastly, the Democratic committee leaders heading the impeachment probe have made clear they eventually plan to open up their proceedings to the public.
Several reports Thursday said that could happen as early as mid-November.
Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, the pro-impeachment Independent who up until recently was a Republican, slammed Graham’s resolution as deceptive.
“Graham continues to mislead,” Amash tweeted. “The Constitution divides impeachment and trial between the House and Senate. The House impeachment is an indictment. The process he’s demanding happens in the Senate trial. No defendant participates in an indictment in the way he’s suggesting.”
Evidence has mounted in the inquiry that Trump held up crucial U.S. military aid to Ukraine while pressuring the country’s leaders to investigate Joe Biden and other Democrats before the 2020 election.
Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, testified Tuesday he was informed Trump planned to not release the aid unless Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the politically laced investigations publicly.