Lindsey Graham says he has made up his mind on Trump impeachment
Sen. Lindsey Graham wants to make sure everyone knows where he stands on President Donald Trump's impending impeachment trial.
He's not waiting to hear the evidence. Heck, he's not even interested in the opening statements.
“I have made up my mind,” Graham, R-S.C., said Saturday at a conference in Qatar. “I'm not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.”
A Senate impeachment trial is looming in the New Year for Trump after the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee voted for impeachment and the full House prepares for a vote this week.
Graham said the removal of Trump is dead on arrival in the upper chamber. He sought to downplay the possibility that there will be a full-blown trial with witnesses.
“It will die quickly, and I will do everything I can to make it die quickly,” Graham said in an interview with CNN.
Once known as an independent-minded Republican and an occasional critic of Trump, Graham has morphed into one of the president's most ardent supporters. He is up for re-election in 2020 and is painfully aware of Trump's popularity among his right-wing base.
Graham is not the only Republican making little secret of his position, even though all senators will swear an oath to consider all the evidence fairly.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he plans “total coordination” with Trump's legal team on a trial. Some Democrats are calling for McConnell to recuse himself after proclaiming himself to be in the president's pocket.
