Commentary by Stephen Macaulay
In the multiple times Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) has been on Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, he has rolled over her like a rolling pin making the crust for a pecan pie. She asks a question. He provides an answer, more often than not, an answer that is not even remotely associated with the question.
Any attempt on her part to follow up is dismissed with a combination of annoyance and contempt.
Somewhere, Tim Russert is rolling in his grave.
Despite Graham’s hard line of supporting whatever Donald Trump says — a line without a bit of deviation — he keeps getting booked on the show. Wash, rinse, repeat.
He says whatever it is he wants to say, which is generally what he presumably thinks Donald Trump wants him to say.
She asks questions that get unanswered.
And then she thanks him for being on the show with enthusiasm that borders on gushing.
But to her credit, on January 26 she asked Graham a question and got an unexpected answer. Not simply unexpected in that the answer had something to do with the question, but because what he said.
Welker: “Do you believe that President Trump was wrong to issue these blanket pardons to the January 6th defendants?”
First Graham makes a bit of a swerve: “Number one, he had the legal authority to do it.”
Note she didn’t ask if it was legal but whether it was right, a difference with distinction.
Here is where not only where Graham answers the question, but where he shows that he has a spine: “But I fear that you will get more violence. Pardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently I think was a mistake, because it seems to suggest that's an okay thing to do.”
He knows that beating up police officers in the Capitol is wrong, and he said it.
Then the spine collapses: “Kamala Harris wanted to raise bail money for people burning down Minneapolis. You know, Biden pardoned half his family going out the door.”
Banged them both! The boss would be pleased about that. (And to be clear, notice he said Harris “wanted to,” not that she did. As for the Biden pardons, there were five pardons to siblings and spouses for "ANY NONVIOLENT OFFENSES against the United States which they may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through the date of this pardon." Which can’t be said about those who took part in the January 6th attack on the Capitol were convicted of.)
Graham concluded his answer by repeating: “But as to pardoning violent people who beat up cops, I think that's a mistake.”
The final question Welker posed was about the Trump Administration’s firing of 18 inspectors general. Legally there is supposed to be 30 days’ notice.
Welker: “Do you think he violated the law?”
Graham: “Well, technically yeah. But he has the authority to do it. So, I’m not, you know, losing a whole lot of sleep that he wants to change the personnel out. I just want to make sure that he gets off to a good start. I think he has. I’m very supportive of what he wants to do with America …”
So let’s see.
Trump violated the law.
But he has the authority? Um, in what country would that be?
Section 3, Article II of the U.S. Constitution has it that the president must “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
It is the president’s job to make sure that the laws are upheld, not violate them.
And so the spine collapses again.
Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings.
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