Lindsey Graham warns he'll "call in the FBI" if one witness is questioned in Trump impeachment trial

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: Salon

In a Fox News interview on Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, the outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, cautioned Democrats against calling witnesses to the stand in Donald Trump's upcoming impeachment trial, warning that the GOP will retaliate by calling in the FBI for further testimony.

Graham said in an interview, "If you open that can of worms, we'll want the FBI to come in and tell us about how people pre-planned this attack and what happened with the security footprint at the Capitol," adding, "You open up Pandora's Box if you call one witness."

Graham, who called for the prosecution of rioters to "the fullest extent of the law," still has yet to assign any blame to the former President for January's violent insurgency at the Capitol. He is just one of the forty-five Republican senators to object to the trial on constitutional grounds, since there is no precise legal precedent for convicting a former President. As Amanda Marcotte noted in Salon on Monday, the move allows Republicans to acquit Trump, leaving his voting bloc undisturbed, without having to address the mountain of evidence suggesting Trump's culpability head-on.

President Trump –– who has come into a new legal team after his attorneys abruptly quit because they refused to lie on Trump's behalf –– is now being represented by attorneys David Schoen, longtime advisor of Roger Stone, and Bruce Castor, a former Pennsylvania district attorney who refused to prosecute Bill Cosby.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lindsey-graham-warns-he-ll-call-in-the-fbi-if-one-witness-is-questioned-in-trump-impeachment-trial/ar-BB1dkCWZ?li=BBorjTa

---

Oh FFS Lindsey. Give it up.

[FreepFryer]

1. Does he think people don't want to know the truth of what happened? His threat is gobbledygook. nt

[trueblue2007]

70. His brains are gobbledygook. Miss Lindsey is am embarrasment to our nation.

[brush]

102. That weather vane has no authority to call in the FBI.

He's talking out of his you know what. Of course there will be witnesses...and videos...which may be even more damaging.

[ResistantAmerican17]

2. Are you sure you wanna do that Linds? They might find some shit about you.

[underpants]

3. Oh good, I was afraid he was going to go tell the hall monitor

[Thomas Hurt]

4. not sure why the fool thinks calling the FBI in on what they have discovered is bad for anyone

but Trump and some of his christofascist colleagues.

[paleotn]

5. No, Lindsey, you won't.

You have no power anymore. And that kompromat? It's coming out. Rest assured, all will be made known in time.

[msongs]

6. he is having fluffer withdrrawals nt

[Blue Owl]

24. Along with the Vladdy Vapors

[Under The Radar]

7. I do hope that they do call on the FBI to testify

Then ask them when they have Trump the intelligence report that his supporters were coming Armed with intentions of invading the Capitol.
Trump knew they were armed and purposely sent them to the Capitol

[rurallib]

8. Please proceed!

[SkeezerRedux]

9. Fine.

Call his bluff. This is tantamount to the old "If you do, I'm taking my marbles and leaving"-threat often employed in our elementary school days.

[oldtime dfl_er]

77. Except he doesn't have any marbles...

...

[LisaM]

10. I'm not following the nature of this threat.

It's almost as if it's coded language so he can escape whatever this hostage situation he's in really is.

[OAITW r.2.0]

12. Is anyone decoding his eye blinks? He may be asking for help. nt

[niyad]

19. Sounds like he is implying that Dems are behind the insurrection.

[Rebl2]

46. If dems

we’re behind insurrection, they would not be trying to impeach trump because they would be fearful of being found out.

[Collimator]

49. Hostage Video are the very words that come to mind

Every time I have seen Graham talking on Fox News recently. He is always looking up at something, not at the camera. I guess there could be cue cards or whatever*. But that undercuts his supposedly in-the-moment righteous outrage.

Seriously, he does seem to be speaking under duress during those interviews.

* Maybe he's keeping his eyes on the dog biscuits his handlers use to motivate him.

[OAITW r.2.0]

11. I agree, Lindsey.....lets get the FBI involved.

Maybe CIA, too. What were the Russian trolls doing on the lead-up to the 1/6/21 Insurrection?

[onetexan]

41. +1 -K&R

[Stuart G]

43. Well, Well and Well..Whose side is the FBI on?..."The TRUTH"...If Lindsey calls the FBI, Lindsey

may have to pay for it. Lindsey is not smart enough to call the FBI..To arrest who?

and the CIA knows who is responsible for all this...If you don't think the CIA knows the
whole show, who caused this disaster, then maybe you believe that the CIA is full of
stupid people.....

....I don't think the CIA is full of stupid people, I think the CIA has contacts with a whole
lot of similar agencies to the CIA...British, French, German, Italian, Israeli, Japanese....etc..
Those agencies know who caused this show....and .........guess what....SO WE ALL WILL KNOW...

(but most of us already know who caused this show)..OH NO..time to hide.

[tanyev]

13. Dems: Oh, please don't throw us into that briar patch!

[sarge43]

14. Did he just misplace his fecal material?

That sounds like a full blown panic attack.

[RockRaven]

15. Go ahead and call them. I triple dog dare you, Lindsey.

[Gore1FL]

16. I am totally cool with the FBI presenting evidence against Trump.

Does he think this sounds threatening?

[niyad]

17. Is this a not-so-subtle implication that Dems are behind the insurrection????

[Mr.Bill]

32. Sure, Democrats dressed up

as Trump supporters and Proud boys to riot at the Capitol to overturn an election we just won.

Okay.

[niyad]

89. We understand that. But remember who they are brainwashing. . Ooops, "informing".

[brewens]

18. Bring it on. I'm sure Democrats can come up with lots of questions for the FBI that they

would love to have answered for the nation to see. I'm pretty confident that whatever Lindsey thinks would come out could be traced to Trump at least indirectly.

[judesedit]

20. So what. We want the truth. Period.

[sarcasmo]

21. 🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞

[PA_jen]

22. WTF is that suppose to mean? Is he threatening to have Democrats arrested for following the

law and actually hold someone accountable for their criminal actions? The 1st Amendment doesn't protect a citizen from yelling fire in a movie theater to start a stampede nor does it protect a President from encouraging an insurrection and Siege of the Capitol .

[Jedi Guy]

101. The "yelling fire in a movie theater" analogy regarding free speech is no longer correct.

That analogy was used in the 1919 SCOTUS case Schenk v. US, and the key takeaway from the case was that such speech must be both dangerous and false in order to fall outside the free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. Speech that is dangerous and true is protected.

In any event, the test was later refined in the 1969 case Brandenburg v. Ohio, which limited banned speech to that which was intended and likely to incite imminent lawless action, such as a riot. "Likely" involves some room for interpretation and invites a free speech defense, and proving intent also has difficulties.

Where Trump's defense will run into trouble is that the Constitution doesn't spell out a standard of proof for impeachment, so the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard found in a criminal trial doesn't necessarily apply. If he were criminally charged with inciting a riot, he might well be acquitted on free speech grounds. But in an impeachment trial, the "preponderance of evidence" standard is just as valid.

It's all just for show anyway. The GOP has made it clear that their minds are made up and they're not going to convict him. But at the very least, he goes down in history as the only President to be impeached twice, and it forces the GOP Senators to go on record without weasel words to dodge the issue.

[bucolic_frolic]

23. Yes let's hear from the FBI

because indications were over these years they were monitoring all these dangerous groups but they didn't seem to have much of a toehold to stop this insurrection.

Were they told to stand down?

I saw Director Wray's summer press conference. He never looked at the camera or the press, and took no questions, just wiggled his head as he spoke. Rumors were Trump would fire him. I wonder if those things were not unrelated.

So let's hear what they have to say.

[madaboutharry]

25. I am so tired of his drama.

What is wrong with him? He is always behaving like he is on the verge of having a meltdown. It is so undignified.

[bringthePaine]

26. wow! who's covering the "Crackers Graham" fucking FBI-BATSHIT-PHONE?

[NCDem47]

27. There is some implication here...

That he thinks he knows that the FBI knows something that would work against the Dems. Is this some ANTIFA bullshit?

[dchill]

28. It sounds like a can of worms that demands to be opened.

[sakabatou]

29. Afraid of witnesses, Lindsey?

[DallasNE]

30. Graham Wants Another Farce

Because trials require witnesses to establish facts. Trump had a witness in the first impeachment in Jonathan Turley.

Actually, I would welcome the FBI so why does Graham think this is some kind of ace in the hole. If Graham started asking questions that might jeopardies a pending criminal case the agent would simply not compromise the criminal case.

[cstanleytech]

31. Sure, you open that can Graham and other cans your fellow Republicans do not want opened might be.

[dhill926]

33. self abasement seems to be a thing with him...

[Ferrets are Cool]

34. I double dog dare ya, you imbecile.

[kimbutgar]

35. He's sounds like he is losing it in a nervous breakdown

I bet some bad stuff about him will come out sooner rather than later.

[Solly Mack]

36. Graham's a dead end in a superhighway world.

[turbinetree]

37. Hey, Leningrad Lindsey Graham its against the law to intimidate witnesses............

here read it for yourself and your suppose to be a former JAG officer and your now a senator...............resign ...........

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1512

[Doreen]

38. So, the FBI is going to willingly participate in witness tampering?

I think lindsey should rethink his threat.

[pbmus]

39. Lindsey the traitor...

Link to tweet

[Renew Deal]

40. Is he going to go all Walt Starr in the senate?

[Dem2theMax]

64. Now there's a screen grab!

[NNadir]

42. I would hope that the FBI will be called in. Trump is a criminal, and, guess what Lindsay...

...the FBI is law enforcement, and, um, trials usually have witnesses, despite your kangaroo court when you were in charge of cover-ups.

You are not going to look good, kiddo.

[iluvtennis]

44. Let him call the FBI. Wray can reiterate the FBI 2019 findings that white supremacist groups

were the most dangeorus to the USA.

[Acornsouth]

45. Not sure what Graham is doing here, but....

He has no say in who the witness's are and he has no say on what to ask them.... The house presents the evidence, and Trumps lawyers defends the president.... Graham is not involved in this impeachment other than as a jury,,,, He is talking out the back side of himself.

[mdbl]

47. He's a moron talking out of his a$$

South Carolina voters that put him back in office need their heads examined.

[Stuart G]

48. Graham is '''STUPID, and STUPID is still STUPID"

[PatrickforO]

50. Good. Call the witnesses. Lindsey doesn't get to

say who is or is not called as a witness.

[Ford_Prefect]

51. Graham is playing with fire here. FBI witnessing about the coordination between Trump's mob

of deplorables, the crews within the mob, the enablers and planners in his campaign and his white house staff, Members of both houses and their staffs, Putin and any other "outside influences", Mrs. Supreme Court Judge, and sundry propaganda outlets with an interest could take up quite a few testimonial minutes and may lead to embarrassing questions directed at certain Senators.

You think Lindsey has really thought this through or is he merely parroting Trump's (or Vlad's) line of thinking? Donald does like to make the oddball threat of retaliation as we know.

Actually this sounds rather desperate of him. It makes me wonder just what he thinks needs to be hidden from the public and the public record. It's interesting that he thinks he's in charge of the proceedings or what the FBI will do or say, or else that he's speaking for someone else who does. Grandstanding is one thing, making it stick is quite another. IMO Lindsey's smokescreen comes from the same source as Giuliani's rants the warped mind of DJT.

[Xipe Totec]

60. Yes. It sounds like: Don't come any closer, or I'll shoot myself in the nuts. I mean it! nt

[AZ8theist]

78. Ok, you owe me a new computer screen and a bottle of German lager....

[Lock him up.]

52. Getting closer 'n closer to the long-deserved Final Act?

The FBI knows how much Individual 1 is Kompromised... maybe Lying Lindsey too, ummm?

Link to tweet

Tweet: Lindsey Graham
@LindseyGrahamSC
·
May 3, 2016
If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it.

[Nasruddin]

53. Oh please Brer Lindsay

whatever you do, please don't throw me into the briar patch!

[DinahMoeHum]

54. Neah neah-neah neah neah booga booga booga.

[Oldem]

55. Bloviator. Saying it on Faux

and doing it are two different things. LG doesn't want the FBI testifying. This is Brer Rabbit begging not to be thrown in the briar patch.

[MontanaMama]

56. Lindsey sounds desperate.

[NCjack]

57. DEMs must accept Lindsey's challenge and open Pandora's Box.

[ancianita]

66. Why not. I hope Leahy's ready for it.

[LudwigPastorius]

58. He's threatening deflection...

The evidence that will be presented is that Trump incited insurrection with his words, especially at the rally immediately before the Capitol attack.

Graham wants the F.B.I.'s preliminary findings to indicate that this was all cooked up by people other than Trump before he even took the stage on the 6th.

There may well be hard evidence yet revealed that there was a plot that started in the Oval Office, i.e. someone willing to testify or recorded phone calls, but that may take time to ferret out. Graham wants the early, easier-to-get facts to deflect from Trump's guilt in fomenting the attack.

[PutGramaOnThePhone]

62. Right

[Warpy]

59. While I have no doubt he'll scream and grandstand

I have a great deal; of doubt that either it will be tolerated or it will get him anywhere.

Apparently he didn't get the memo that with Democrats in charge instead of McConnell, the rules have changed a bit.

[Nitram]

61. Bring it on, graham cracker!

Nothing the FBI will do can do anything but strengthen the Democrats case. Wingnuts have this crazy theory that any indication the insurrection was planned means Trump had nothing to do with it. They seem to have forgotten that Trump was saying the election was fraudulent before it even took place. He called it fraudulent early and often, and that spurred his fans in the shite supremacist and fascist community to plan an insurrection against the government of the United States of America.

[ancianita]

63. Except for one thing: he has no standing. He cannot interfere with House managers' prosecution.

He's just a juror, and must only swear:

"Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help you god?"

And the Sergeant-at-Arms says every day:

“Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! All persons are commanded to keep silence, on pain of imprisonment.”

Senators are required to stay silent throughout the trial while they serve out their role as jurors. They must also leave their cellphones — and coffee — outside the chamber. Pen and paper are their only distractions. They can speak while making motions during the trial. Others can also step outside the chamber and offer as many comments to the press as they’d like, as we know they will.

Sure, he can scream to the press for the FBI to come in, but he's got no standing.
No jury person ever yells to the public that they can tell the prosecution or defense how to run their trial, who they want to hear from, or what to do. We'll see if he disrespects Leahy during the trial, and what Leahy does. Maybe he and enough other senators can get kicked out so that there can be a 2/3 conviction vote.

[SunSeeker]

65. As Malcolm Nance would say, the target is getting buggy. nt

[McKim]

67. Bring it On!!!!

Bring it on, I can hardly wait!!!!!

[pfitz59]

68. He must've been watching "Blazing Saddles"

[AZ8theist]

79. I must have seen that movie 500 times and it STILL cracks me up....

[Bayard]

69. He says this like its a bad thing

You're not calling the shots here, Lindsay. Sit down, shut up.

[badboy67]

71. Bring. It. On.

[Cheezoholic]

72. He is the last in a lineage

Of Torrie loving holdouts in SC. He's an Edward Rutledge closet dresser. Nothing more there is no less.

[LiberalLovinLug]

73. In one DU story he is threatening to upset the impeachment trial unless it stops, In another story

"Lindsey Graham defends Liz Cheney amid attacks from Trump allies"

One of the few that supported impeachment.

Never seen someone that quick at two-facing.

[Cha]

74. Is Graham for real?

[quakerboy]

75. So I guess hes working under the assumption

that elected democrats want the impeachment trial over quickly?

I wish that i was certain he was incorrect.

I would like full investigation, testimony and evidence presented for all to see.

[still_one]

81. There will be a full investigation and it will be through an 9/11 type commission

[quakerboy]

95. so we will hear back in 3 years.

thats useless for the impeachment trial.

[Chicago1980]

76. Dear Lawwd.....

Clutch the pearls and clench the sphincter....

Why wouldn't the American people want full disclosure?

Call whomever you'd like Lady Lindsey.

[still_one]

80. Please do call the FBI, or anyone else where we can get all the facts out

[ShepKat]

82. ok

Double dog dare ya... it will help the impeachment stick

[Vinca]

83. Maybe the FBI could kill 2 birds with 1 stone and bring warrants for Cruz and Hawley along.

[padah513]

84. Is he part of the jury, or

Attorney for the defense?

[bucolic_frolic]

85. Is that a threat in plain sight?

Anyone with kompromat that Lindsey knows about might take it that way. Asking because "call in the FBI" and refusing to do so is just so off-key.

[Maxheader]

86. BWWWWWAAAaaakk! Buk! Buk!....

Of course there will be witnesses, children little...

ANddd..the fbi.?... stupid fuck..They will

only verify the inciting by stumpy...and verify the violence ,

and repeat what the mob did to their fellow officers....

[apnu]

87. "we'll want the FBI to come in and tell us about how people pre-planned this attack" Yes!

Why yes Lyndsey Graham, that's exactly what we want to know. Who's in charge of DC at the time? Who's the "governor" of that tiny Federal state? That would be the POTUS.

We want to know why there was such disarray in communications and threat assessment amongst the various protection agencies and departments in DC. We know they can, even under Trump's incompetent eye, do this as there was almost no problems of this kind protection for months of BLM protests.

We want to know how many members of Congress were in on this attack, as the GOP was trying its best to slowdown and delay the simple process of accepting the Electoral College's count of ballots.

So let's call witnesses Lindsey. You call the FBI and have them investigate. Open that can of worms. Let's all see it and know from whom it wriggles towards.

[malthaussen]

88. Excellent. I, for one, would like to know the reasons for the security breakdown. n/t

[Kid Berwyn]

90. Me, too.

Lindsey wants to blame “antifa.” He’s in for a big surprise.

[twodogsbarking]

91. He will undoubtedly call FBI

Construction and Landscaping in Long Island.

[Initech]

92. Oh I'm sure that the FBI would call on that Q Shaman if they had the chance!

[honest.abe]

93. WTF does that even mean?? How does that hurt Democrats?

Seems it would just confirm Trump and his gang of thugs were responsible.

[mahina]

96. I wonder if maybe he's tired of being blackmailed and

Is using their own argument against them? Because we know that won’t help them. He’s like a hostage.

Or is the FBI complicit? Did the FBI participate in this?

[orangecrush]

97. ....

He's really freaking for SOME reason!

[lagomorph777]

98. Perfect! Wait, isn't that OUR strategy? Lindsey's carrying the ball in the wrong direction!

[mia]

99. Please proceed, Lindsey.

[AntiFascist]

100. By all means, please bring in all the witnesses...

we all want to know the details about the fucked up DOD response.

Also inquiring minds want to know: what was behind the call for resignation of the Capitol Police Chief? Why did two capital policemen commit suicide following the riot?

[Vivienne235729]

103. Is it me or does he sound terrified? He has the same shrill pitch as when he

Was begging for campaign money before the general election