Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has come under fire over his defense of President Donald Trump’s “lynching” remark on Tuesday. Now, Twitter users are criticizing Graham with the hashtag #WheresLindsey.
“So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!” Trump tweeted, invoking the term which typically calls to mind the racist violence faced by Black people after they were freed from slavery.
So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019
Many, on both sides of the aisle, expressed outrage over Trump’s invocation of the term.”You are comparing a constitutional process to the PREVALENT and SYSTEMATIC brutal torture of people in THIS COUNTRY that looked like me?” rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) tweeted.
You are comparing a constitutional process to the PREVALENT and SYSTEMATIC brutal torture of people in THIS COUNTRY that looked like me? https://t.co/3v4oMuPC6C
— Congressmember Bass (@RepKarenBass) October 22, 2019
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) called both Trump and the remark a “reprehensible stain on this nation’s history.”
Lynching is a reprehensible stain on this nation’s history, as is this President. We’ll never erase the pain and trauma of lynching, and to invoke that torture to whitewash your own corruption is disgraceful. https://t.co/XOlsazwwRL
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 22, 2019
“Emmett Till was a 14-year-old boy boy who was falsely accused of sexual harassment by a white woman in Mississippi and then brutally lynched. That’s what a lynching looks like without due process. His mother held an open casket funeral to show the world what American racism is” Twitter user @eugenegu wrote, along with the photo of Till–who was beaten so badly, he was no longer recognizable–in his open casket.
Emmett Till was a 14-year-old boy boy who was falsely accused of sexual harassment by a white woman in Mississippi and then brutally lynched. That’s what a lynching looks like without due process. His mother held an open casket funeral to show the world what American racism is. pic.twitter.com/udxXhGF7JH
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) October 22, 2019
Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) denounced Trump’s comparison.
“Given the history in our country I would not compare this to a lynching,” McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill. “That was an unfortunate choice of words.”
However, Graham, stood with Trump and even echoed his sentiments.
“This is a lynching in every sense. This is un-American,” Graham said to reporters on Tuesday, referring to the impeachment inquiry.
Later on, he once again defended Trump’s word choice, even amidst outcry.
“The story here is not the word, it’s the conduct of the Democrats in the House,” Graham told reporters on Tuesday. “If the Republicans were doing this, you’d be OK with calling it a political lynching because that’s literally what it is.”
“I’m from South Carolina; I understand it very well. Mob rule is what lynching is all about. I didn’t say they were lynching the president literally,” he added.
Within moments, the hashtag #WheresLindsey started to trend, lambasting Graham and even calling for his resignation.
Jesse Washington was lynched @realDonaldTrump with over 10,000 spectators, including city officials and police, gathering to watch the attack. #Lynching #RacistInChief #WheresLindsey pic.twitter.com/kXFP10GU7c
— Gerald Givens Jr. (@geraldgivensjr) October 22, 2019
“Q: How can you tell when you’re on the wrong side of history? A: @realDonaldTrump is standing right next to you. #WheresLindsey” Twitter user @WricWolfson wrote.
Q: How can you tell when you’re on the wrong side of history?
— Eric Wolfson (@EricWolfson) October 22, 2019
A: @realDonaldTrump is standing right next to you.#WheresLindsey pic.twitter.com/qfz6f0JrfY
Tony Posnanski announced that Graham’s “spine and courage” were missing. “Oh shit, sorry. He fucking never had it. #WheresLindsey,” Posnanski added.
Missing- Lindsey’s spine and courage.
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) October 22, 2019
Oh shit, sorry. He fucking never had it.
#WheresLindsey
Resign, Lindsey Graham
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) October 22, 2019
#WheresLindseyhttps://t.co/8H02owFw1j
Others quickly pointed to a speech given by Graham back in 1998, when he spoke in support of the impeachment proceedings brought against former President Bill Clinton.
“You don’t even need to be convicted of a crime. Impeachment is not about punishment. It’s about cleansing the office, about restoring honor and integrity to the office,” Graham argued at the time.
https://twitter.com/TheBaxterBean/status/1186690057354252288
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