During an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that history would judge Trump’s responsibility for the siege that resulted in the deaths of several people, including one Capitol Police officer, but suggested that he will vote to dismiss the impeachment charge of inciting the riot because Senators “are not prosecutors.”
Graham, one of former President Trump’s longtime allies in the Senate, declared that he is ready to end the impeachment trial because I think it’s “blatantly unconstitutional” because Trump is no longer president.
“Well, I mean, [Trump] is going to have a place in history for all of this, but the point of the matter is that we’re in Congress. We’re not prosecutors. Impeachment was never meant to be a prosecution,” Graham said.
“I think I’m ready to move on. I’m ready to end the impeachment trial because I think it’s blatantly unconstitutional,” Graham continued, before adding, “As to Donald Trump, he is the most popular figure in the Republican Party. He had a consequential presidency. Jan. 6 was a very bad day for America, and he’ll get his share of blame in history.”
A number of Republicans have criticized the former president over the Jan. 6 violence. The president’s second impeachment by the House last month saw 10 Republicans vote in favor of charging him with inciting an insurrection. But the Senate GOP has signaled that a conviction of the former president is unlikely to occur, as many members have expressed doubt over whether such a maneuver is constitutional.
Watch Graham’s interview below from CBS News.
.@margbrennan asks @LindseyGraham if former President #Trump deserves any formal reprimand for actions related to the January 6th insurrection
“Well, I mean, he’s going to have a place in history for all this,” but says he's "ready to move on" from the #impeachment trial pic.twitter.com/UnoBM4FiA8
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 7, 2021
