Sen. Lindsey Graham warns that there would be collateral damage if the House tries to impeach Donald Trump.
CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted:
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham warns there will be “collateral damage†if Democrats move forward on impeachment: “Those of us in the Republican Party in the Senate need to shut out the House,†meaning move on with GOP agenda
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 31, 2019
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
The real meaning of what Lindsey Graham was saying to the House
Besides the fact that Senator Graham was warning House Democrats not to impeach his new political daddy, there was a serious threat in his statement. Graham was saying that if House Democrats impeach Trump, the Senate is going to freeze the House out. There will be no more legislation from the House that will get passed in the Senate. Mitch McConnell’s Senate majority will ignore everything that comes out of the House, including articles of impeachment.
The only constitutional requirement is that a trial is held on articles of impeachment. Theoretically, McConnell could hold a trial in an hour, have Senate Republicans vote not to convict, and impeachment ends with a whimper.
House Democrats need to ask themselves how much different life would really be if Senate Republicans ignored them. McConnell is refusing to bring House-passed bills the Senate floor for a vote, so what would House Democrats really be losing?
Republicans are very worried about impeachment, and Lindsey Graham’s words should be read not as a warning but as an expression of fear.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
