Lindsey Graham Dodges Tapper On Whether Trump Should Attend ‘J6 Award Gala’ Honoring Rioters — At Trump Golf Club

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) dodged a question from CNN’s Jake Tapper on whether Donald Trump should avoid attending a gala honoring January 6th rioters at his golf club.

A group called the Stand in the Gap Foundation announced on their website their plan to host a so-called “J6 Awards Gala” on September 5th at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The former president is listed on the website as an “invited guest speaker,” along with former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

However, although Trump will host the gala at his property to “honor and celebrate” the rioters, he will not be attending the awards show, a source familiar with the matter told Mediaite. The event will celebrate the 20 defendants who made the “Justice For All” song which was a recording of January 6th prisoners sing the national anthem while Trump recites the Pledge of Allegiance.

Graham avoided answering Tapper’s questions directly but noted that the rioters who broke into the Capitol “should go to jail.”

TAPPER: The event is supposed to pay tribute to all January 6th defendants and raise money for these defendants and in many cases, convicted criminals who assaulted the Capitol assaulted law enforcement. Now, the Trump campaign says Donald Trump is not attending, although the organizers say they expect him to attend and he’s on the invitation as an invited guest. Do you think it would be a mistake for him to go? And is it a mistake for this event to be taking place at Bedminster at all? [00:00:41][26.8]

GRAHAM: Well, my view of January 6th, I was actually there that the people who broke into the Capitol and assaulted police officers, should go to jail. They committed a crime. There are people very upset about the outcome of the 2020 election. I get that. But Vice President Harris tried to raise bail money for people who burn Minneapolis. I didn’t like that either. So when it comes to the parties condoning violence, I would say we both should knock it off in that regard. But Vice President Harris went on, tweeted out, raise money to get these people out of jail who burnt Minneapolis and killed a police officer. So what I would say is that this election is not going to be decided based on the 2020 outcome, but how people are living in 2024. So, no, I have no sympathy for those who broke into the Capitol, destroyed the place and hurt police officers.

TAPPER: So you don’t think that Donald Trump should allow this fundraiser at Bedminster?

GRAHAM: Well, I’ll let him — There are people being held, I think, that have had their due process rights, violated, quite frankly, they haven’t had haven’t been brought to trial yet. I don’t like that very much, but I’ll leave it up to him as to what causes to support. I am supporting him because my country, your country, our country is hurting and he offers policy changes that we desperately need.

Watch the clip above via CNN.