On impeachment, Lindsey Graham says you can't compare Trump to Bill Clinton, as Trump 'did nothing wrong'
With all this talk of impeachment going on, people have been playing close attention to something Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in January 1999.
After independent counsel Kenneth Starr released his report stating that President Bill Clinton lied during a deposition about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Graham stood on the Senate floor and declared: "You don't even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic if this body determines your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role." Impeachment, he said, is "not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office."
On CBS's Face the Nation Sunday, Graham said there is nothing about President Trump in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report that can compare to Clinton. "What President Clinton did was interfere in a lawsuit against him by Paula Jones and others, hide the evidence, encouraged people to lie," he said. "So, to me, he took the legal system and turned it upside down. But it doesn't have to technically be a crime. What President Trump did here was completely cooperate in an investigation, a million documents, let everybody that the special counsel wanted to talk to be interviewed."
Subscribe to 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.
The report, which details several incidents in which Trump may have obstructed justice, states that in 2017, Trump told former White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Mueller. That means nothing to Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I don't care what they talked about," he said. "He didn't do anything. The point is the president did not impede Mueller from doing his investigation." Watch the interview below. Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Five things Biden will be remembered for
The Explainer Key missteps mean history may not be kind to the outgoing US president
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Will European boots on the ground in Ukraine actually keep the peace?
Today's Big Question Pressure is growing for allies to keep the peace if Trump pulls plug on support
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 11 - 17 January
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Pam Bondi downplays politics at confirmation hearing
Speed Read Trump's pick for attorney general claimed her Justice Department would not prosecute anyone for political reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden warns of oligarchy in farewell address
Speed Read The president issued a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked power in the hands of the ultra-wealthy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hegseth boosts hopes for confirmation amid grilling
Speed Read The Senate held confirmation hearings for Pete Hegseth, Trump's Defense Secretary nominee
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden removes Cuba from terrorism blacklist
Speed read The move is likely to be reversed by the incoming Trump administration, as it was Trump who first put Cuba on the terrorism blacklist in his first term
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
South Korea arrests impeached president
speed read Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained, making him the first sitting president to be arrested in the country's history
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
House GOP unveils bill for Trump to buy Greenland
Speed Read The bill would allow the U.S. to purchase the Danish territory — or procure it through economic or military force
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DOJ releases Trump Jan. 6 special counsel report
Speed Read Jack Smith's report details the president-elect's "criminal efforts to retain power" amid the 2020 election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel, Hamas and US say cease-fire deal close
Speed Read A high-level cease-fire negotiation is gaining momentum in Biden's final week as president
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published