WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made these statements on news Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats will hold the Articles of Impeachment in order to delay a Senate trial and vote. 

• “My concern is the precedent we are setting.  The Constitution never envisioned the House being able to impeach the president, dictate the terms of the trial in the Senate, and hold the Articles of Impeachment back to be released at a time of their choosing. It creates a constitutional extortion mechanism that is dangerous for the country.”

• “I do not know what is driving the idea of holding the Articles of Impeachment. My speculation is buyer’s remorse – they know the foundation of impeachment is shaky.”

• “Whether you agree with impeachment or not, Trump Derangement Syndrome has reached a new level here.  House Democrats refusing to send the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate because they don’t like the way we may do the trial – that is just scary.”

• “Congressman Jim Clyburn, a very good friend and a very good man, just said if it were up to him they would never send the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. That tells me they are embarrassed by what they did – the product they generated in the House is not worthy of coming to the Senate.”

• “In the Clinton impeachment, I could not imagine, as a House manager, not going to the Senate to make our case.   If we had held back the Articles of Impeachment against President Clinton – to try to get the Senate to do our bidding – the media would have eaten us alive.”

• “Speaker Pelosi has no ability to shape the trial. That is the Senate Majority Leader’s decision in consultation with the Minority Leader. If you don’t like the way we do a trial in the Senate, you take it to the ballot box.”

• “Constitutional checks and balances keep us free as a country. This is a destruction of the separation of powers and constitutional checks and balances. That should scare every American.  This is uncharted waters constitutionally.  We cannot have a system where the House: impeaches the president, tells the Senate how to conduct the trial, and holds Articles of Impeachment over the president’s head.  That is just absolutely in violation of every concept of separation of powers.”

• “The idea of ‘We will withhold the Articles of Impeachment until Mitch McConnell does the bidding of Nancy Pelosi’ is a non-starter.”

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