Apr 05 2019

Graham Receives Edwin Meese Award from Republican National Lawyers Association

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) was today awarded the Honorable Edwin Meese III Award by the Republican National Lawyers Association for his career accomplishments and leadership protecting freedom and the rule of law while upholding Republican ideals in the face of adverse political challenges.

While there, Graham spoke to the group and touched on important topics facing the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he serves as Chairman.

On Senate Confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh:

  • GRAHAM: “Thank you for helping, those who did help Brett, who stood by Brett, much appreciated. He is going to be a great Justice, and I’m hoping after this debacle we’ll get back to a more mainstream way of challenging a nominee that will adopt the Susan Collins way of evaluating a nominee, not the mob. That is not exactly what the rule of law is all about.” https://youtu.be/LOnsZixggB4?t=817

On Mueller Report:

  • GRAHAM: “Mueller has done his job. To all those who wanted Mueller to do his job without political interference: mission accomplished. I stood up during this debate and said I trust Mueller, I’ve known him for 20 years, I think he’ll be fair to the president and the country as a whole, and I’ll make sure I do everything I can to do his job without political interference, and he did.” https://youtu.be/LOnsZixggB4?t=847

On Attorney General William Barr:

  • GRAHAM: “[Attorney General] Barr has one of the best reputations in this town, and look what is being said about him. Don’t think for a minute that this is about Trump; it is about Republican conservatives. And we’re going to fight back. And we’re going to put the interests of the country before anything else when we do our fighting.” https://youtu.be/LOnsZixggB4?t=904

On Investigation into DOJ/FBI and FISA Warrant Process:

  • GRAHAM: “So here’s the question before the [Judiciary] Committee and the country: was a FISA warrant issued against an American citizen, Carter Page, based on a document prepared by a foreign agent, paid for by a political party, that is unverified to this day? Don’t you want to know the answer to that? Was there a counterintelligence investigation opened up against the Trump Campaign without real solid evidence?” https://youtu.be/LOnsZixggB4?t=1079

The Rule of Law:

  • GRAHAM: “The rule of law cannot survive against mob rule. The confirmation process was attacked viciously, and it barely withstood the attack. Campaigns are going to be targeted by foreign governments in the future, and we need to have rules that are fair and will work for both sides. The FISA court is an important tool, it cannot be abused for political purposes. Somebody has to watch those who watch us.” https://youtu.be/LOnsZixggB4?t=1215

On Immigration:

  • GRAHAM: “I want to fix immigration from a wider perspective. I want merit-based immigration. I want E-Verify. I want walls that work. I want visa overstay to stop. I want more legal immigration.”  https://youtu.be/LOnsZixggB4?t=1370 

Click here to watch Graham’s full remarks

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