Graham to Sanders on GOP 2020 ‘Big Lie’ Claims: ‘What About the People Saying Defund the Police?’

During a Fox Nation debate moderated by FNC host Bret Baier, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) went head to head over policy and politics, including the outcome of the 2020 election.

Sanders contended former President Donald Trump’s claim he won the 2020 election, which Sanders deemed the “big lie,” was a threat to democracy.

After pinning Graham down to get him to say he did not believe Trump won in 2020, Graham insisted that Sanders address the left’s calls to defund the police.

Partial transcript as follows:

SANDERS: We have a former president, whose name is Donald Trump, who goes around the country telling people hey, I won the election, in fact, I probably won it by a landslide, but they — they stole it, they took it away from me.

All right, now that happens to be what we call a big lie. And yet, many of the Republicans that Senator Graham are asking you to vote for are maintaining that big lie. What does that mean? It goes beyond Trump; it goes beyond the 2020 election. It means what they are saying is the entire system, you can’t trust anybody.

And if you can’t trust the election results, then what is the obvious alternative? We need a strong man, all right. Conservators want to — I think it was Hungary to meet with Mr. Orban who runs an authoritarian type society.

So, the struggle we’re facing, it’s not just Lindsey and I disagree on this or that issue — which we do — it is the future of American democracy and when we — whether we move to authoritarianism based on, among other things, a very big lie.

BAIER: Well quickly, can you address that Senator —

SANDERS: Guess what? Trump lost the election.

BAIER: Can you address that, Senator? I mean, can you say definitively the election was not stolen?

GRAHAM: Yes, I — I voted to certify the election. There was some mail-in balloting chicanery out there, but no. No, I voted to certify the election. President Biden’s the president. And whether Trump —

SANDERS: Did he win the election?

GRAHAM: Yes.

SANDERS: OK. Then what about all of the candidates out there who are trying to say that he didn’t? Your Republican candidates that you want people to vote for?

GRAHAM: Well, I — you know, what about the people saying defund the police? You talk to them, I’ll talk that crowd. So, here —

(CROSSTALK)

SANDERS: Well, your crowd is a lot larger than my crowd.

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