Trump ally Lindsey Graham once said a president ‘doesn’t even have to be convicted of a crime’ to be impeached
'Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honour and integrity to the office,' veteran Republican said in 1999
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Republican senator's previous comments about presidential impeachment have resurfaced after Donald Trump's former attorney and campaign manager were convicted of financial crimes.
Lindsey Graham issued a muted response after attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign laws and Paul Manafort was convicted eight counts of bank fraud.
Emphasising that neither of the cases alleged collusion with the Russian government on the part of the Trump campaign, the South Carolina senator said: "The American legal system is working its will."
He also urged special prosecutor Robert Mueller to wrap up his probe into the matter quickly.
The statement stood in stark contrast with Mr Graham’s comments on the House floor in 1999, as the body weighed the impeachment of then-President Bill Clinton
“You don’t even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic, if this body determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role,” Mr Graham said at the time.
He added: “Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honour and integrity to the office.”
The comments were uncovered by MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, who posted a clip of the senator’s speech on Twitter.
“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,” Mr O’Donnell wrote.
Democrats have been cautious about mooting impeachment for Mr Trump but the idea has been raised in some quarters after Mr Manafort and Mr Cohen were convicted.
Mr Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts, including campaign finance violations stemming from his work on the Trump campaign. He claimed to have paid off women with damaging information on the president "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office” – a reference to then-candidate Trump.
Senator Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said Mr Cohen's plea was the first to “directly allege potential criminal activity by the President”.
Brian Klaas, a former US campaign adviser, told The Independent that the odds of Mr Trump failing to finish his term “went up significantly”.
“There is a growing consensus among at least Democrats and independents, if not Mr Trump's core base, that he is surrounding himself by criminals,” Mr Klaas said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments