Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, broke his silence on Sunday about the second indictment of Donald Trump.
On Thursday, a grand jury indicted the former president on 37 charges ranging from willful retention of classified documents to obstruction charges in connection to the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s investigation into whether he mishandled classified documents after leaving office in January 2021. The the probe was led by special counsel Jack Smith who was appointed by the DOJ to oversee the case.
Federal prosecutors are accusing the former president of mishandling sensitive presidential records and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. Trump, however, has maintained his innocence, accusing prosecutors of investigating him for political reasons. Thursday’s indictment makes Trump the first former president to face federal criminal charges in United States history.
Graham, a staunch Trump supporter who endorsed his 2024 presidential bid, did not immediately comment on the indictment. However, he broke his silence during an appearance on ABC News’ this Week in a testy interview with host George Stephanopoulos.
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Stephanopoulos asked the senator about whether he believed Trump did “nothing wrong.” In response, Graham attempted to compare the treatment of Trump to that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who faced scrutiny for conducting government business on a private server, raising security concerns prior to the 2016 presidential election. He argued that the actions of Trump and Clinton were “similar,” but that only Trump had faced the prosecution.
The interview then grew contentious after Stephanopoulos tried to interrupt Graham to ask again about Trump’s behavior.
“No. Let me finish. I’m trying to answer the question from a Republican point of view. That may not be acceptable on this show. Yes, I don’t like what President Trump did in some aspects. I don’t like that President Biden has classified information in the garage. I don’t like that Mike Pence carelessly took classified information. I don’t like any of that,” Graham said, continuing to explain that he believes Clinton was treated differently by the justice system than Trump.
Graham said he is “not justifying” Trump’s alleged actions, but that he won’t change his support for the former president in light of the indictment. He added that Trump was overcharged by the DOJ, saying it is “ridiculous” to believe the former president is committed espionage and that conservatives view the indictment as politically charged.
“Most Republicans believe that the law now is now a political tool,” he said.
As a result, Graham believes Trump is “stronger today politically than he was before” the indictment, he said.
Trump is facing 37 charges, including 31 counts of willful retention of classified documents and one count each of conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign and Graham via email for comment.
Meanwhile, Manhattan prosecutors filed more than 30 felony charges against Trump earlier this year in relation to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Daniels alleged that she had an affair with the former president a decade earlier, an allegation that Trump has denied.
Update 06/11/2023 12:03 pm ET: This story was updated with additional information.