‘No Law’ When It Comes to Trump: Lindsey Graham Predicts ‘Riots in the Streets’ If Ex-President Prosecuted
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Republican senator Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he expects civil unrest in the event former president Trump is prosecuted for mishandling the classified documents that were seized during the FBI raid of his Florida residence.
The South Carolina Republican suggested that he and many of his GOP colleagues believe that the political system has been weaponized against Trump, noting that he is often subjected to a “double standard” that his Democratic adversaries are not.
“If there’s a prosecution of Donald Trump for mishandling classified information, after the Clinton debacle… there’ll be riots in the streets,” Graham said during an appearance on Fox News’ Sunday Night in America.
The FBI chose not to prosecute Hillary Clinton after finding that she accessed classified documents via a private server in violation of federal law. FBI director James Comey announced the decision not to prosecute months ahead of the 2016 election, saying that “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring a case in such circumstances.
In making the case for Trump’s mistreatment, Graham cited Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent admission that the platform suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story after the FBI told the company to “be on high alert” for Russian “misinformation” ahead of the 2020 election.
Graham also mentioned the criminal probe into Trump’s alleged efforts to swing the results of the 2020 election in Georgia by leaning on various state officials, arguing that the decision to prosecute the former president on those grounds could also lead to unrest. Graham was subpoenaed to testify in the probe but a federal appeals court blocked the order last week, sending the case back to a lower court to determine whether Graham is exempt from answering certain questions given his role as a federal lawmaker.
“Most Republicans, including me, believes when it comes to Trump, there is no law. It’s all about getting him,” Graham said. “I’ve never been more worried about the law and politics as I am right now.”
As for the Mar-a-Lago search, a federal judge said Saturday that, partially because of the “exceptional circumstances presented,” she has “preliminary intent” to appoint a “special master” to review the records seized from the property earlier this month. Trump requested the special master in a motion for judicial oversight and additional relief last week.
The FBI took roughly 20 boxes of items, including one set of documents marked as highly confidential, as well as binders of photos, a handwritten note, the executive grant of clemency for Roger Stone, and information about French president Emmanuel Macron, according to the released search warrant.
Graham’s comments also come as the January 6 committee approaches its hard deadline of January 3, 2023 to wrap up proceedings. Partisan pressure has intensified in recent months, including from certain Republicans such as Representative Adam Kinzinger, to indict Trump over his role in the Capitol Riot.
However, it is doubtful that the panelists will be able to produce clear-cut evidence for such a criminal case that’s sufficient to pursue the unprecedented action of prosecuting a former president. Ultimately, the committee may recommend Trump’s prosecution in its final report.
