(CNN) Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a close ally of President Donald Trump, said he will do everything in his power to quickly end an expected impeachment trial in the Republican-led Senate.
"This thing will come to the Senate, and it will die quickly, and I will do everything I can to make it die quickly," the South Carolina Republican said Saturday during an interview with CNN International's Becky Anderson at the Doha Forum in Qatar.
The House Judiciary Committee on Friday approved two articles of impeachment against the President, paving the way for a final vote on the House floor expected next week. That will set up the Senate trial, for which lawmakers are now gearing up.
Asked if it was appropriate for him to be voicing his opinion before impeachment reaches the Senate, Graham replied, "Well, I must think so because I'm doing it."
"I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind. I'm not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here," Graham said, adding, "What I see coming, happening today is just a partisan nonsense."
AFlaccoSeagulls on December 15th, 2019 at 17:32 UTC »
The problem with everything that's happening right now in US politics at a macro level is that people are blatantly violating laws, but the people who are responsible for enforcing said laws are knowingly refusing to enforce those laws.
When the people who have the responsibility of upholding the law actively stop doing that because the people they'd have to charge are a part of the same political party as them, we have a major problem in this country, fundamentally.
If this is how impeachment is going to be played at the Senate, then we need constitutional amendments putting impeachment in the hands of the judicial branch, where actual judges can make these decisions instead of bought-and-paid-for Senators who are actively saying they will not be partial.
Either that, or when Senators make statements like this and then give their oath in the Senate, they are immediately arrested for violating that oath.
EDIT: I've received a fair amount of replies saying "Well yeah but Trump is stacking the courts with Trump judges and that's just as bad, if not worse!", and I respectfully disagree with that opinion. There have been several instances where Trump-appointed judges have ruled against Trump in several cases, and generally I like to believe that is because regardless of who appoints them, the vast majority of judges will abide by the rule of law, whereas Senators have no such obligation (as we can clearly see). So, in the long run I would rather place my faith in our judicial system and judges than in Senators. Is this a perfect solution? Absolutely not, but to me it's 100% clear that our current constitutional devices are fundamentally broken.
456afisher on December 15th, 2019 at 13:23 UTC »
Mr. Graham who is supposed to represent an entire state is now telling all of the people of that State that "juris prudence" is no longer a requirement. Remember that when people are sworn in to be a member of a jury: Mr Senator says that being biased is the best way to run the nation. WOW
EunuchProgrammer on December 15th, 2019 at 13:01 UTC »
“The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.”
— The Kansas City Star, 7 May 1918