Depending upon which way the political winds are blowing on any given day — or whatever Trump and his intel team at FOX News tells him to say — Sen. Lindsey Graham has been all over the map when it comes to Trump’s extortion attempt against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he threatened to hold US aid unless Zelensky committed to digging up dirt on Joe Biden.
For example, back in September, Graham responded to the White House release of a partial transcript and a memorandum regarding the phone call between the two leaders by labelling it “a nothing (quid pro quo) burger” and declared that evidence of Trump threatening Ukraine “does not exist.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham: "If you're looking for a circumstance where the President of the United States was threatening the Ukraine with cutting off aid unless they investigated his political opponent, you'd be very disappointed. That does not exist." pic.twitter.com/io19f19725
— The Hill (@thehill) September 26, 2019
In an October interview with Axios on HBO, Graham appeared to be open to changing his mind on the impeachment issue if the Democrats’ investigation later proved that Trump engaged in quid pro quo. “If you could show me that, you know, Trump actually was engaging in a quid pro quo, outside the phone call, that would be very disturbing.”
After a transcript of EU Ambassador and Trump loyalist Gordon Sondland’s testimony before a House committee was released on Tuesday that provided evidence of an explicit quid pro quo — that would be outside the phone call, by the way — Graham told CBS News he won’t even bother reading it. “I’ve written the whole process off,” said Graham. “I think this is a bunch of BS.”
This display of what could be called a political quid pro quo between Trump and Graham as they provide cover for each other heading into 2020 couldn’t be more obvious. And needless to say, my respect meter for these two registers below zero.
However, based on something Graham said Wednesday about the Ukraine scandal, I think I may have been a bit unfair with the South Carolina Republican. In fact, I believe Graham’s latest interpretation of the situation not only clears Trump of any wrongdoing; it’s also something I 100% agree with.
Speaking with Reporters in the Capitol Building, Graham explained why he dismissed Sondland’s testimony out of hand. It wasn’t because he was trying to cover up anything, but because Trump is incapable of forming a quid pro quo deal with Ukraine due to his “incoherent” foreign policy.
“The whole process is a joke. ….You [media] just pick things you like. Ya’ll hate this guy [Trump]. Ya’ll want to get him impeached. I’m not buying into Schiff running a legitimate operation over there. …This is a political vendetta.” — @LindseyGrahamSC pic.twitter.com/RprXX4GHVJ
— Kevin Bishop (@KevinDBishop) November 6, 2019
“What I can tell you about the Trump policy toward Ukraine. It was incoherent,” Graham said. “It depends on who you talk to [but] they seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo.”
In the end, I agree 100% with Graham’s lame attempt at defending his master because he’s telling us something we’ve known about the New York liberal ever since the day he rode down the escalator at Trump Towers to announce his candidacy.
Trump is incapable of doing his job. And he is in every way, shape, or form unqualified to be President of the United States.
Thanks, Lindsey! Any chance we can get you to apply this fact to Trump’s assault on the Constitution?
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative.
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