Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, on Wednesday urged his Republican colleagues not to form a “lynch mob” to block President-elect Trump’s controversial choice of Matt Gaetz to be U.S. attorney general.
Neither should the GOP-controlled Senate give Gaetz a “rubber stamp,” Graham said in a statement that called for a fair process after he met with the prospective nominee and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
“My record is clear. I tend to defer to presidential cabinet choices unless the evidence suggests disqualification,” said the South Carolina senator.
“I fear the process surrounding the Gaetz nomination is turning into an angry mob, and unverified allegations are being treated as if they are true. I have seen this movie before.”
VP-ELECT JD VANCE TO HOLD MEETINGS BETWEEN GAETZ, HEGSETH AND ‘KEY’ GOP SENATORS
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., waits for the arrival of President Joe Biden and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks Women’s basketball team in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, for an event to welcome the and celebrate their 2023-2024 NCAA championship season. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Graham appears to be alluding to the 2018 confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which was rocked by unproven allegations of sexual assault made by Christine Blasey Ford. Kavanaugh emphatically denied Ford’s claims, and she was never able to identify the time and place of the alleged assault or provide corroborating witnesses to support her account.
Kavanaugh was narrowly confirmed, mostly along party lines, after Ford provided emotional testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Graham served as chairman.
Trump’s selection of his close ally Gaetz to lead the Justice Department caught many Republicans by surprise since he does not have prior law enforcement experience and also faces misconduct allegations. Gaetz resigned from Congress shortly after Trump made the announcement.
Gaetz was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which subpoenaed him as recently as September for an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct with a minor. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and had told the panel he would “no longer voluntarily participate” in its probe.
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Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her, testifies to the Senate…
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