Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that former President Donald Trump’s criminal charges were “political BS.”
Host Dana Bash said, “At the Supreme Court, during oral arguments on Thursday, Trump’s lawyers suggested that any former president should not be charged for ordering the military to stage a coup unless he was impeached and convicted firs. Do you agree with that?”
Graham said, “I think the court’s going to find that presidential immunity exists for President Trump like every other president but you’ve got to be within the scope of being president. I think they’ll send it back to the lower courts to find out exactly what actions fall within presidential immunity in water considered personal. I think that’s the way this will end. It will be some immunity for some of the actions.”
Bash said, “So it sounds to me like you’re saying that that scenario does not justify immunity, that kind of scenario, an attempted coup?”
Graham said, “There’s is no absolute immunity, yeah there will be immunity but there’s no absolute immunity in the Constitution. It will be a legal analysis. The president needs to be protected. We don’t become a banana republic here where we prosecute you know, are political opponents, which is going on really in many jurisdictions.”
He concluded, “I think all these trials are political. I think is selective prosecution. I think what’s going on in New York is an outrage. That cases eight years ago, they created a crime just for Trump. I think it’s selective prosecution for political purposes.”
Graham added, “I think it’s all BS yeah, political BS.”
Bash said, “If he is convicted will you still support him?”
Graham said, “Absolutely. I think what’s going on with Donald Trump is weaponization of the law.”
He concluded, “I think most people have written this off. They’re going to focus on their problems. Not a bunch of cases brought by liberals against Thump.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN