Tucker Carlson, Rand Paul Accuse Graham of ‘Total Inaction’ in Investigating Origins of Russia Probe
Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson hosted Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) on his show Monday night to discuss Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham’s (R., S.C.) handling of the ongoing investigation into the origins of the Russia Investigation.
In a segment titled “Lindsey Graham Keeps Making Empty Promises,” Carlson challenged Graham for not unearthing the facts behind the initial probe.
“From the beginning, Graham promised to use his powers as [Senate Judiciary Committee] chairman — which are substantial — to get to the bottom of the Russia investigation: how did it start, as well as the bottom of other efforts by the American bureaucracy to control American politics,” Carlson said. “That’s a general promise, but Graham got more specific. He said he would find the truth with a series of actions. He would probe whether or not top DOD officials plotted a bureaucratic coup. He said he would subpoena Andrew McCabe as well as Rod Rosenstein if necessary. So far, Graham’s tenure has been defined by total inaction.”
The Fox host then brought on Paul to offer his thoughts.
“I can’t call committee hearings and drag these people in. Senator Graham has the power,” Paul said. “He is the chairman of a powerful committee, the Judiciary Committee. Yes, I’ve encouraged them publicly and privately to do this . . . everything the Democrats have accused President Trump of doing, you know, investigating a political rival with a foreign country, all those same questions should be asked of the Democrats: did they do that to Trump?”
The segment concluded with Carlson and Paul discussing why Republicans have yet to act, suggesting that despite Graham’s claims, an unelected bureaucracy that remains hostile to Trump still holds influence over investigations.
“The deep state has an enormous amount of power to look at individuals, and so when Senator Graham and I have fought these fights in the past, I have always fought for having warrants where a real judge in public has to present probable cause,” Paul said. “Lindsay has always fought for allowing these to be done secretly . . . there might be a philosophical difference, that he wants them to maintain their power, he wants to maintain the intelligence community’s enormous grip on things”
