U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican, was confronted and taunted by Trump supporters at a Washington D.C. airport on January 8. Some of them shouted “traitor” at the senator.
Daniel Lippman, a Politico reporter, shared the video on Twitter, writing, “A source sends this video of a group of Trump supporters today harassing Sen. Lindsey Graham at Reagan airport and loudly calling him a ‘traitor’ after he publicly broke with Trump earlier this week.”
A source sends this video of a group of Trump supporters today harassing Sen. Lindsey Graham at Reagan airport and loudly calling him a “traitor” after he publicly broke with Trump earlier this week.
A woman in the video is pictured wearing a Q T-shirt. QAnon is a fringe, extremist belief system whose followers believe, without evidence, that a ring of Satanic pedophiles is embedded in the American governmental system. People with those beliefs have been identified as part of the pro-Trump mob that invaded the U.S. Capitol building earlier in the week.
The Graham confrontation came as controversy continued to swirl over the mob’s actions and the president’s rhetoric. Democrats talked of impeachment and blocking Trump from the nuclear codes. The president also announced on Twitter that he won’t attend Joe Biden’s upcoming inauguration as president.
Here’s what you need to know:
Graham Criticized Trump for the Capitol Riots
GettyRepublican Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina.
The Capitol riots left four people dead, including a Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick. Fifty officers were injured, Capitol Police say.
Graham spoke out against the riots. In a statement on video, he said he had supported President Trump and he said Trump has been “consequential from a conservative point of view.” But he said the accomplishments were “tarnished by yesterday. The president needs to understand that his actions were the problem, not the solution.”
His rally was unseemly and “it got out of hand.” Graham said that “Joe Biden is the legitimate president of the United States.” He said election irregularities were overblown. The president’s legal team has been misleading on the election, he said.
Graham said he didn’t support the 25th Amendment at this point in time. He said he hoped that Trump should “turn down the rhetoric” to allow the nation to heal and should peacefully transfer power. Graham also tweeted, “As President @realDonaldTrump stated last night, it is time to heal and move on. If Speaker Pelosi pushes [impeachment] in the last days of the Trump presidency it will do more harm than good. I’m hopeful President-elect Biden sees the damage that would be done from such action.”
Some Democrats Criticized Graham’s Statement
GettyRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Graham on Twitter, writing,
“Move on?”
“Moving on” does not mean “forget about it,” @LindseyGrahamSC.
“Moving on” requires accountability.
Attacking our nation without recourse or responsibility isn’t “moving on.” A Capitol Police officer just died. Why are you defending this?
According to The Hill, President-Elect Joe Biden condemned the Capitol rioting, saying, “Let me be very clear — the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America, do not represent who we are. What we are seeing is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent. It’s disorder. It’s chaos. It borders on sedition and it must end now.”
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