
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) might be against impeaching the president now, but back in the 1990s he had an entirely different opinion on the topic.
In a 1999 floor speech, posted by MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, the Trump golfing buddy argued that the president doesn’t have to be convicted of a crime to be impeached.
“So the point I’m trying to make is that you don’t have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this Constitutional republic,” Graham said. “If this body determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds … because impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”
Watch below:
Every reporter must now ask @LindseyGrahamSC if he still believes in the standard he set for removing a president in the impeachment of Bill Clinton pic.twitter.com/kbF7guFjm7
— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) August 22, 2018