A new Winthrop poll in South Carolina finds Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) stature has “steadily risen” among state Republicans since becoming a close and vocal ally of President Trump.
Graham’s 74% approval rating among Republicans is up 23 points from April 2018 and is now even with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
“If you don’t want to get re-elected, you’re in the wrong business.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by the New York Times, explaining how he went from Trump skeptic to Trump sidekick.
Susan Glasser: “When the commander of U.S. forces in Europe, General Curtis Scaparrotti, met privately with members of Congress at the Munich Security Conference, last weekend, Senator Lindsey Graham finished the meeting with a blunt question. Graham asked Scaparrotti what impact President Trump’s order to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria by April would have on America’s allies there.”
“A participant in the meeting told me, ‘Lindsey asked him, “Is it fair to say if this is carried out to the end, we will not have any allies? Would it be fair to say it would lead to a disaster?”’
“The answer was equally blunt: ‘Yes, sir.’”
“After I expressed surprise at the stark reply from a uniformed commander, the participant reminded me that military officials are obliged to advise members of Congress appropriately, under a provision in the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act.”
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) warned that there could be a “war” among Republicans if President Trump declared a national emergency to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall, The Hill reports.
Said Graham: “It seems to me that he’s gonna have to go it alone, but there could be a war within the Republican Party over the wall.”
That said, Graham added that he would “stand with” Trump if he declares a national emergency to construct the U.S.-Mexico border wall and urged his Republican colleagues to “get behind the president” if he goes down that path.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) suggested that President Trump reopen the federal government “for a short period of time” to see if Congress can reach a deal to fund a border wall, cautioning that Trump is “not going to give in” on his demands for a border wall, Axios reports.
President Trump’s attorney general nominee, William Barr, told Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that he will allow special counsel Robert Mueller to finish the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, Reuters reports.
Said Graham: “I can assure you he has a very high opinion of Mr. Mueller and he is committed to letting Mr. Mueller finish his job.”
“There’s not a smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham(R-SC), quoted by The Hill after a CIA briefing, referencing Trump administration comments that there is no “smoking gun” linking the Saudi Crown Prince to the order to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he “would start voting against priority items for completing the Senate’s work if he is not properly briefed by the CIA about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” Roll Call reports.
Said Graham: “I’m talking about any key vote. Anything that you need me for to get out of town, I ain’t doing it until we hear from the CIA.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) plans to trade his Senate Judiciary Committee gavel to lead the Finance Committee next year, he said on Friday — leaving Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in line to replace him as chairman, Politico reports.
“Grassley’s move to Finance wasn’t a given, since the Judiciary panel has played an outsized role in the successful confirmation of more than 80 of President Trump’s nominees to lifetime appointments on the federal bench. That number could include future Supreme Court justices beyond Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh in the next Congress, heightening the influence of the Judiciary chairman.”
McClatchy: “Graham is poised to become the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, giving him both influence and exposure — and a new, politically risky stature as a Democratic target.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he supported a bill that would protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller from any politically motivated firings and would urge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a vote on it, Reuters reports.
“Sen. Lindsey Graham’s bipartisan overtures — on immigration, foreign policy, even investigations of President Trump — once made him a darling of Democrats, a Republican dealmaker to be wooed to the center,” the New York Times reports.
“But when the South Carolina Republican turned up in this St. Louis suburb to campaign against a Democratic colleague, Claire McCaskill, the crowd of Trump-loving women and red-hatted men practically swooned, bathing in the reflected glow of the president they adore — who now adores Lindsey Graham.”
“Mr. Graham, crisscrossing the country to turn out the Republican vote against the centrist Democratic senators who were once his natural allies, lapped it up. He has been basking in the exaltation of Trump backers ever since his lacerating defense of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. His own transformation from Trump-basher to Trump defender seems complete.”
CNN: “After streams of voters lined up to take selfies with Graham last week, the detractor-turned-Trump-defender was asked: Is there any room for a Trump critic in today’s Republican Party?
Said Graham: “I don’t think there’s any room in the party for wanting him to fail. If they see your criticism is designed to want him to fail or not support him, then you’re in trouble.”
Graham quickly added: “Most people in that room want me to stay close to the President.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that he will introduce legislation to end birthright citizenship after President Trump suggested he could do so through an executive order, The Hill reports.
Said Graham: “Finally, a president willing to take on this absurd policy of birthright citizenship. I’ve always supported comprehensive immigration reform – and at the same time – the elimination of birthright citizenship.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that it would be, “like, terrible” if a DNA test found that he had Iranian heritage, the Washington Post reports.
The Fox & Friends host tried to walk back the comment just after Graham made it.
“I’ve been told that my grandmother was part Cherokee Indian, it may all be just talk, but you’re gonna find out in a couple of weeks because I’m gonna take this test.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by The Hill, saying he can “beat” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in terms of his amount of Cherokee heritage.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told WYFF that he has “zero interest” in joining President Trump’s cabinet.
Said Graham: “I like him, and I want to help him. I want him to be successful. But I feel I can do more good for the country and help President Trump more effectively by being in the Senate. I’ll help him where I can and say no when I have to.”
He added: “I’m going to run again. There you go, you made news. I’m definitely running.”
“I’ve never been more pissed in my life. I’ve never campaigned against a colleague in my life. That’s about to change.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by the Washington Post, after the contentious confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Frank Bruni: “But Graham is special. He really is. I can’t think of another Republican whose journey from anti-Trump outrage to pro-Trump obsequiousness was quite so illogical or half as sad, and his conduct during the war over Kavanaugh completed it. For the president he fought overtime, he fought nasty and he fought without nuance.”
”In so doing, he distilled our rotten politics — its transactional nature, its tribal fury, its hysterical pitch — as neatly as anybody in the current Congress does.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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