Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, broke his silence on Sunday about the second indictment of former President Donald Trump.
A grand jury indicted Trump 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 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.
Graham, a staunch Trump supporter who endorsed his 2024 presidential bid, did not immediately comment on the indictment. However, he broke his silence on Sunday during an appearance on ABC News' This Week in a contentious interview with host George Stephanopoulos.
Stephanopoulos asked the senator about whether he believes 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.
Stephanopoulos, however, attempted to interrupt Graham to again ask 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.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated when more information becomes available.
