Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reacted to the House impeaching President Donald Trump on Wednesday, predicting the articles against the president will meet a “quick demise” in a Senate trial.
Graham, who serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, previously suggested he and his Republican colleagues will seek to hold a swift trial. In an interview with the Fox News Channel last week, the South Carolina Republican stated he is “ready to go,” adding that his “goal” is to “end this as soon as possible.”
“I don’t want to give it any legitimacy because it’s a crock,” he told America’s Newsroom. “My goal is to end this as soon as possible for the good of the country because I think it’s a danger to the presidency to legitimize this.”
After some eight hours of debate, the House voted mostly along party lines on the two articles of impeachment charging Trump with having abused the powers of the presidency and having obstructed Congress.
“Dec. 18, a great day for the Constitution of the United States, a sad one for America that the president’s recluse activities necessitated our having to introduce articles of impeachment,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during a press conference after the vote.
On Article I charging Trump with abuse of powers, all but two Democrats voted in agreement with presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voting present.
On Article II concerning obstruction of Congress, every Democrat but two voted in agreement.
The White House issued a statement slamming the vote, describing it as “one of the most shameful political episodes” in U.S. history.
“Without receiving a single Republican vote, and without providing any proof of wrongdoing, Democrats pushed illegitimate articles of impeachment against the President through the House of Representatives,” said press secretary Stephanie Grisham. “Democrats have chosen to proceed on this partisan basis in spite of the fact that the president did nothing wrong.”
The UPI contributed to this report.
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