Lindsey Graham's path from Trump foe to staunch supporter traced by writer: 'Trump turned out to be poison'

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has changed his tune on Donald Trump and authoritarian government, and one journalist traced his path to his new viewpoint in granular detail.

The South Carolina Republican infamously predicted that Trump, if nominated, would destroy the GOP, but he has since become one of the twice-impeached former president's staunchest defenders. The Bulwark's Will Saletan published a 112-page treatise documenting the senator's change of mind..

"Trump turned out to be poison," Saletan wrote. "Over the next five years, he thoroughly corrupted Graham’s party. Republican leaders had time to counteract the poison, but they never did. One reason was that the poison moved slowly. Graham and other Republican politicians lost the ability to see what they were becoming. They rallied around an authoritarian, excused authoritarian acts, and embraced authoritarian ideas."

Saletan tried to approach his subject with seriousness and avoid simply dunking on the senator, who he said was just one of many who betrayed their own stated values by siding with the reality TV star-turned-politician -- but he said Graham presented a perfect case study because he maintains a high public profile.

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"He produced an enormous trove of interviews, speeches, press briefings, and social media posts," Saletan wrote. "Through these records, we can see how he changed, week to week and month to month. We can watch the poison work."

"It’s a slow death," he added. "The surrender to despotism doesn’t happen all at once. It advances in stages: a step, a rationalization. Another step, another rationalization. The deeper you go, the more you need to justify. You say what you need to say. You believe what you need to believe."