News

Lindsey Graham Says He Could Consider Impeachment Of Trump

Republican senator and longtime Trump ally Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) said that he has not ruled out the possibility of President Donald Trump‘s impeachment during an interview that aired Sunday.

Graham was asked on Axios on HBO if he could support impeachment if more evidence comes out.

“Sure, I mean show me something that is a crime,” Graham replied. “If you could show me that, you know, Trump actually was engaging in a quid pro quo outside the phone call, that would be very disturbing.”

Graham is referencing Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine, in which he seemingly asked their government to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden. The call has been at the forefront of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, and has been criticized as an abuse of his power.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

The term “quid pro quo” has been thrown around, as democrats investigate whether Trump withheld military aid in exchange for Ukraine launching a political investigation benefiting Trump.

Last Thursday, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told reporters there was a quid pro quo and “we do that all the time” in foreign policy.

“Did he also mention to me in [the] past the corruption related to the DNC server? Absolutely,” Mulvaney said during a news conference. “No question about that. But that’s it, and that’s why we held up the money.”

He later tried to walk back his comments in a statement that said “there was absolutely no quid pro quo between Ukrainian military aid and any investigation into the 2016 election.”

Graham’s interview was taped Tuesday, two days prior to Mulvaney’s comments.

SLIDESHOW: TOP DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020

His admission of a quid pro quo has alarmed many GOP lawmakers.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) criticized the move, saying “You don’t hold up foreign aid that we had previously appropriated for a political initiative. Period.”

Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Florida) told CNN, “Whatever might have been gray and unclear before is certainly quite clear right now that the actions were related to getting the Ukraine to do some of these things.”

Rooney joined Graham in saying he would not rule out the possibility of impeachment.

“I’m not going to say anything about that until all the facts are in,” he said. “I remember too many people saying, ‘Oh, this is a witch hunt against Richard Nixon,’ and come to find out it wasn’t a witch hunt.”

 

Katherine Huggins

Share
Published by
Katherine Huggins

Recent Posts

Whistleblower Says Trump Nominee For Federal Judgeship, Emil Bove, Told Justice Department Attorneys To Defy Court Orders

A whistleblower has provided text messages and emails alleging that Emil Bove, a senior Justice…

1 hour ago

FEMA Head David Richardson Makes First Appearance In Texas Following Deadly Flooding That Killed 129 People

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) acting administrator David Richardson made his first public appearance…

2 hours ago

Trump Names Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy, Former Star Of ‘The Real World,’ To Serve As NASA’s Interim Head

President Donald Trump announced last week that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy will serve…

5 hours ago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Didn’t Consult Trump Prior To Authorizing Pause On Weapons Shipments To Ukraine

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not notify the White House prior to authorizing a…

10 hours ago

Measles Cases Reach Highest Number In U.S. In Past Three Decades

Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. has had 1,299 confirmed measles cases as…

1 day ago

56% Of Californians Favor Secession From The U.S., New Poll Finds

A poll conducted in June by the Independent California Institute found that a majority of…

1 day ago