Recording Shows Lindsey Graham Criticizing Trump After Jan. 6 Riot: ‘He Plays the TV Game and He Went Too Far Here’
Audio recorded on Jan. 6 shows Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was quick to criticize then-President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol was ransacked by a pro-Trump mob.
The South Carolina Republican hit Trump over his penchant for immersing himself in theatrics.
According to Graham, after the Capitol was stormed, the former president was at least partially to blame.
On CNN’s AC360, host Anderson Cooper welcomed New York Times reporters Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin to talk about their new book about the 2020 election.
Martin spoke to Graham on the day of the riot.
“He’s misjudged the passion, he plays the TV game and he went too far here,” the senator said. “That rally didn’t help, talking about primarying [Liz Cheney]. He created a sense of revenge.”
Trump held a rally before the Capitol riot, in which he said, “And we got to remember, in a year from now, you’re going to start working on Congress and we got to get rid of the weak Congress, people, the ones that aren’t any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world.”
Hours later, the country saw the Capitol overrun as Congress attempted to certify President Joe Biden‘s election victory.
Graham’s comment about Trump playing “the TV game” was likely a reference to his previous stint hosting The Apprentice on NBC.
The South Carolina Republican was among Republicans who criticized the former president following the violence. He quickly re-established himself in Trump’s political inner circle following Jan. 6, when the GOP was momentarily fractured.
CNN reported Graham visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate weeks after the riot on what it called “peace mission.”
The recording of Graham is the latest headache for congressional Republicans in recent weeks. Burns and Martin have also shared recorded phone calls which show House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was angry with Trump and some ardent pro-Trump House Republicans after the riot.
Watch above, via CNN.
