In a fiery live interview, Senator Lindsey Graham and ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos engaged in a heated clash over the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump.
When asked about Trump’s insistence that he was innocent in the secret information cases, the South Carolina Republican, who has endorsed Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination, lashed out at Stephanopoulos, demanding to be allowed to finish his statement.
Within just 30 seconds, tensions escalated as Graham drew parallels between the case against Trump and the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during the 2016 presidential campaign, which ultimately contributed to her defeat.
Attempting to elaborate on his point, Graham began, “Well, here’s what I believe: we live in an America where, if you’re the Democratic candidate for president, you can set up a private server in your basement to conduct government business, and when an investigation is had about your activity…” but Stephanopoulos interrupted him.
Frustrated by the anchor’s redirection, Graham responded angrily, accusing the previous panel on the program, which included legal analysts, of being ridiculous.
“I’m trying to answer the question from the Republican perspective,” Graham explained, visibly upset. “Perhaps that doesn’t work on this program.”
Stephanopoulos pressed Graham, insisting that he had not answered the initial question regarding Trump’s denial of any wrongdoing. This further fueled Graham’s retort as he expressed his disagreement with President Trump on certain policies, highlighting his concerns about Joe Biden’s handling of sensitive material and Mike Pence’s mishandling of confidential information.
Graham’s frustration mounted as he passionately denounced the system that allowed the Democratic candidate for president, referring to Hillary Clinton, to allegedly destroy evidence, such as breaking devices and erasing emails using bleach, while classified information ended up on Anthony Weiner’s computer.
Asserting the beliefs of many Republicans, Graham declared that Clinton had engaged in similar actions without facing consequences.
Acknowledging the potential flaws in Trump’s actions, Graham admitted, “He will be tried for that,” referring to the recent indictment on 37 counts of allegedly stockpiling confidential documents at Mar-a-Lago. However, he criticized the Biden administration for what he perceived as overcharging Trump and labeled the allegations as “ridiculous.”
Former President Trump, aged 76, has been charged by Special Counsel Jack Smith with conspiracy, false statements, and deliberate retention of national defense secrets under the Espionage Act. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and accused the Justice Department of political persecution.
This unprecedented federal indictment marks the first time an outgoing U.S. president has faced such charges. Additionally, Trump is also under investigation for his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and his influence on the 2020 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has also brought criminal fraud charges against him in the Stormy Daniels “hush money” case.
Regarding the Clinton email controversy, the State Department conducted an internal investigation that found no evidence of deliberate mishandling of classified information, despite numerous security infractions committed by employees. The Department of Justice’s analysis concluded that the FBI’s decision to alert Congress about the probe shortly before the election was a “serious error in judgment,” but prosecutors’ choice not to pursue charges against Clinton aligned with past practices.