Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) takes his mask off as he arrives at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 7, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham Excoriated for Equating Trump Accountability With Divisive 'Vengeance'
"How do you lecture about 'unity' and 'healing' after seeking to end American democracy?" asked one Democratic member of Congress in response.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was roundly denounced Sunday after sending a letter to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that characterized President Donald Trump's pending trial as "vengeance" and "political retaliation" that he argued would further divide the nation.
"Nothing Republican leaders say about unity is worth a nickel."
--Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.)While the U.S. House impeached Trump for his role in inciting a violent mob of his supporters to storm the nation's capitol building on January 6--an insurrectionist effort unparalleled in U.S. history that left at least five people dead--Graham argues in his letter that Schumer, if he proceeds with a trial in the Senate, would be guilty of "one more unconstitutional action in this disgraceful saga" that he said would only "incite further division."
However, critics of Graham immediately pounced on the South Carolina Republican for his faulty logic and the disgraceful nature of the letter.
"Lindsey Graham should take the first step towards healing and resign," quipped People for Bernie in response.
"This is basically extortionate: Sorry, no unity until the demands for accountability are dropped," wrote Washington Post political correspondent Greg Sargent. "The answer to this is 'No. You are the ones who have committed the offense. You don't get to set one-sided conditions for unity after what you did.'"
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) unleashed on Graham in a series of tweets, citing the Republican's own behavior that fostered Trump's lies about the outcome of the 2020 election and his long history of two-faced accommodation to Trump's anti-democratic authoritarianism.
"Graham," said Beyer, "pressured election officials in Georgia to throw out lawful ballots and overturn the result." He then added:
Journalist Rachel Bitecofer noted that what Graham is essentially, if not illogically, arguing in his letter to Schumer is "that those responsible for the attack on the Capitol will be held responsible if the Senate lets the main person responsible evade responsibility." But, she adds, "he fails to consider his own culpability at all--which is significant since he lied about fraud."
Likewise, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J) said that it's nearly impossible to take the words of Graham seriously given the role that he, along with so many of his Republican colleagues in Congress, have said and done to the nation in recent months--including those who voted against certification of the President-elect Joe Biden's win.
"For months, GOP leaders spread lies about the election," Pascrell tweeted Sunday in response to Graham's letter. "Acting on those lies, fascists ransacked the Capitol and *hours later* 138-of-202 (68%) House republicans voted to make trump a dictator."
"Nothing Republican leaders say about unity," he added, "is worth a nickel."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was roundly denounced Sunday after sending a letter to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that characterized President Donald Trump's pending trial as "vengeance" and "political retaliation" that he argued would further divide the nation.
"Nothing Republican leaders say about unity is worth a nickel."
--Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.)While the U.S. House impeached Trump for his role in inciting a violent mob of his supporters to storm the nation's capitol building on January 6--an insurrectionist effort unparalleled in U.S. history that left at least five people dead--Graham argues in his letter that Schumer, if he proceeds with a trial in the Senate, would be guilty of "one more unconstitutional action in this disgraceful saga" that he said would only "incite further division."
However, critics of Graham immediately pounced on the South Carolina Republican for his faulty logic and the disgraceful nature of the letter.
"Lindsey Graham should take the first step towards healing and resign," quipped People for Bernie in response.
"This is basically extortionate: Sorry, no unity until the demands for accountability are dropped," wrote Washington Post political correspondent Greg Sargent. "The answer to this is 'No. You are the ones who have committed the offense. You don't get to set one-sided conditions for unity after what you did.'"
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) unleashed on Graham in a series of tweets, citing the Republican's own behavior that fostered Trump's lies about the outcome of the 2020 election and his long history of two-faced accommodation to Trump's anti-democratic authoritarianism.
"Graham," said Beyer, "pressured election officials in Georgia to throw out lawful ballots and overturn the result." He then added:
Journalist Rachel Bitecofer noted that what Graham is essentially, if not illogically, arguing in his letter to Schumer is "that those responsible for the attack on the Capitol will be held responsible if the Senate lets the main person responsible evade responsibility." But, she adds, "he fails to consider his own culpability at all--which is significant since he lied about fraud."
Likewise, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J) said that it's nearly impossible to take the words of Graham seriously given the role that he, along with so many of his Republican colleagues in Congress, have said and done to the nation in recent months--including those who voted against certification of the President-elect Joe Biden's win.
"For months, GOP leaders spread lies about the election," Pascrell tweeted Sunday in response to Graham's letter. "Acting on those lies, fascists ransacked the Capitol and *hours later* 138-of-202 (68%) House republicans voted to make trump a dictator."
"Nothing Republican leaders say about unity," he added, "is worth a nickel."
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was roundly denounced Sunday after sending a letter to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that characterized President Donald Trump's pending trial as "vengeance" and "political retaliation" that he argued would further divide the nation.
"Nothing Republican leaders say about unity is worth a nickel."
--Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.)While the U.S. House impeached Trump for his role in inciting a violent mob of his supporters to storm the nation's capitol building on January 6--an insurrectionist effort unparalleled in U.S. history that left at least five people dead--Graham argues in his letter that Schumer, if he proceeds with a trial in the Senate, would be guilty of "one more unconstitutional action in this disgraceful saga" that he said would only "incite further division."
However, critics of Graham immediately pounced on the South Carolina Republican for his faulty logic and the disgraceful nature of the letter.
"Lindsey Graham should take the first step towards healing and resign," quipped People for Bernie in response.
"This is basically extortionate: Sorry, no unity until the demands for accountability are dropped," wrote Washington Post political correspondent Greg Sargent. "The answer to this is 'No. You are the ones who have committed the offense. You don't get to set one-sided conditions for unity after what you did.'"
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) unleashed on Graham in a series of tweets, citing the Republican's own behavior that fostered Trump's lies about the outcome of the 2020 election and his long history of two-faced accommodation to Trump's anti-democratic authoritarianism.
"Graham," said Beyer, "pressured election officials in Georgia to throw out lawful ballots and overturn the result." He then added:
Journalist Rachel Bitecofer noted that what Graham is essentially, if not illogically, arguing in his letter to Schumer is "that those responsible for the attack on the Capitol will be held responsible if the Senate lets the main person responsible evade responsibility." But, she adds, "he fails to consider his own culpability at all--which is significant since he lied about fraud."
Likewise, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J) said that it's nearly impossible to take the words of Graham seriously given the role that he, along with so many of his Republican colleagues in Congress, have said and done to the nation in recent months--including those who voted against certification of the President-elect Joe Biden's win.
"For months, GOP leaders spread lies about the election," Pascrell tweeted Sunday in response to Graham's letter. "Acting on those lies, fascists ransacked the Capitol and *hours later* 138-of-202 (68%) House republicans voted to make trump a dictator."
"Nothing Republican leaders say about unity," he added, "is worth a nickel."