South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham spoke out on Wednesday against the second impeachment of President Donald Trump over whether he incited an insurrection, arguing that it could “incite further violence” and that his fellow Republicans supporting the effort were hurting their party.
“To my Republican colleagues who legitimize this process, you are doing great damage not only to the country, the future of the presidency, but also to the party,” Graham said on Twitter.
Supporting the impeachment of President Trump under these circumstances will do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence at a time the President is calling for calm.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 13, 2021
The House began debate on whether to impeach the president for inciting an insurrection Wednesday afternoon. The single article is all but certain to pass, which would make Trump the first president in American history to be impeached twice. (RELATED: Here Are The Republicans Supporting Trump’s Impeachment)
Graham also accused Senate leadership of “making the problem worse,” criticizing the possibility that a Senate trial could begin next week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly considered backing impeachment and voting to convict Trump once the Senate holds its trial, though he has not commented on the matter publicly.
As to Senate leadership, I fear they are making the problem worse, not better.
The last thing the country needs is an impeachment trial of a president who is leaving office in one week.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 13, 2021
The article of impeachment was introduced on Tuesday, six days after Trump spoke before thousands of his supporters, urging them to march to the Capitol and to “show strength” in pressuring Congress to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Trump repeatedly alleged baseless claims that the election was rigged, despite dozens of state officials and courts finding no evidence of widespread fraud.
“If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore,” Trump said on Jan 6. Following his speech, a group pro-Trump protesters marched to the Capitol, where some formed a mob that clashed with police and stormed the Capitol forcing lawmakers to flee from the chambers according to numerous reports.
Several Republicans have said that they will vote to impeach Trump, including Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney, who said that “there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
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