Lindsey Graham doubles down on opposition to Jan. 6 pardons after Trump calls him a ‘RINO’ [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Sen. Lindsey Graham doubled down on his disagreement with Donald Trump over pardons for the January 6 rioters.
• Graham released a statement on Wednesday saying the rioters should “not be forgiven.” 
• This was after Trump blasted Graham for breaking with him on the issue, calling Graham a “RINO.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday doubled down on his opposition to offering pardons to Jan. 6, 2021 defendants. In response, former President Donald Trump called the GOP senator a “RINO” — an acronym for “Republican In Name Only.”

“I stand with the police officers who protect our streets, federal courthouses, and the United States Capitol against rioters. They deserve our respect and support and I will not second-guess the decisions they made under dire circumstances,” Graham said in a statement.

The senator stressed that America needs a unified voice against “politically motivated violence.”

“All Americans are entitled to have a speedy trial and their day in court, but those who actively engage in violence for whatever political cause must be held accountable and not be forgiven,” Graham said.

On Tuesday night, Trump responded to an interview that the senator did last weekend on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Graham said it’s “inappropriate” to offer pardons to the Jan. 6 defendants. Trump floated the idea during a Texas rally Saturday night.

“You talked about the potential, if it’s appropriate, of pardoning some of the January 6ers,” Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt asked Trump. “Lindsey Graham said a couple days later, he thinks that’s inappropriate. What do you think?” 

“Well, Lindsey Graham’s wrong. I mean, Lindsey’s a nice guy, but he’s a RINO. Lindsey’s wrong,” he replied.

“Lindsey Graham doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about if he says that,” Trump added later in the interview.

Trump was obviously surprised by Graham’s remarks considering the senator is one of the former president’s closest allies in the Senate. He has often called other Republicans “RINO” like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who was also against pardoning Jan. 6 rioters.

“I would not be in favor of shortening any of the sentences for any of the people who pleaded guilty to crimes,” the Senate GOP leader told reporters on Tuesday.

“The election of 2020 was decided Dec. 14 of 2020 when the Electoral College certified the winner of the election. What we saw here on January the 6th was an effort to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another, which has never happened before in our country,” McConnell added.

Source: The Hill