Biden slams violent rhetoric from politicians: 'Where the hell are we?'
President Biden on Tuesday seemingly responded to Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) declaration during a Fox News appearance that if former President Donald Trump is prosecuted over his handling of classified material, it would lead to "riots in the street."
"No one expects politics to be patty cake — sometimes it's mean as hell," Biden said while addressing a crowd in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. "But the idea you turn on a television and see senior senators and congressmen saying, 'If such and such happens, there'll be blood on the street?' Where the hell are we?"
Graham compared Trump taking classified material from the White House to his Florida residence to Hillary Clinton using a private email server during her time as secretary of state. A 2019 investigation by the State Department found "there was no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information" by Clinton.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden also said that in order for there to be a safer United States, everyone must "uphold the rule of law. Not the rule of any one party or any one person." Despite how divided it might feel in the country, unity can still be achieved, Biden added, bringing up how he often worked with Republicans while in the Senate. "I got a lot done," Biden said. "We respected each other. We disagreed on principle. We never had lunch together. Not a joke. [But] what in God's name has happened to that? ... Folks, let's bring it back. We can do this."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Ryanair/SpaceX: could Musk really buy the airline?Talking Point Irish budget carrier has become embroiled in unlikely feud with the world’s wealthiest man
-
Claudette Colvin: teenage activist who paved the way for Rosa ParksIn The Spotlight Inspired by the example of 19th century abolitionists, 15-year-old Colvin refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus
-
5 contentious cartoons about Donald Trump at DavosCartoons Artists take on weaponized tariffs, a cheeky offering, and more
-
‘Even those in the United States legally are targets’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
