Sen. Lindsey Graham.Photo: Lenin Nolly/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
Sen.Lindsey Grahamput a hopeful spin on the state of the country following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021 and said former PresidentDonald Trumpwent “too far” and created a “sense of revenge” among his supporters, according to audio played on CNN Tuesday.
Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, also praised then President-electJoe Bidenas the “best person” to lead the country in the wake of the violent riots.
“We will actually come out of this thing stronger. Moments like this reset. It’ll take a while. People will calm down. People will [say], ‘Don’t want to be associated with that.’ This is a group within a group,” Graham, now 66, says in audio recorded on Jan. 6, 2021, after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building.
“What this does, it’ll be a rallying effect for a while,” he continues, “where the country says, ‘We’re better than this.’ "
New York Timesreporters Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin, whose bookThis Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Futuredocuments the 2020 election and the first year of Biden’s presidency,shared audio of Graham’s interview on CNNand discussed its contents with Anderson Cooper.
“And Biden will be better, right?” Martin, who conducted the interview, asks Graham as the audio continues.
“Yeah, totally, he’ll be maybe the best person to have, right?” the lawmakers says. “I mean, how mad can you get at Joe Biden?”
Kevin Bishop, Graham’s communications director, responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the audio.
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Graham has been a steadfast ally of the former president — though they’ve had their disagreements, including about the 2020 election, which Trump continues to claim was fraudulent.
On Jan. 6, Grahamspoke on the senate floor, calling Biden “the legitimate president of the United States” and saying of the election, “When it’s over, it’s over.”
“Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey,” Graham also said shortly after the violence at the Capitol. “I hate it to end this way. Oh, my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president. But today, the first thing you’ll see, all I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.”
Burns and Martin also revealed in their book that Graham allegedly threatened to support invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the former president from office amid the Capitol riots.
A day later, Graham said at a press conference he did not support invoking the 25th Amendment,The Hill reported.
After the House of Representatives impeached Trump for his role in the events surrounding Jan. 6, Graham voted against a conviction in the Senate.
source: people.com
