WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made these statements on the impeachment inquiry into President Trump and the release of the transcript between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

• “Impeachment over this?  What a nothing (non-quid pro quo) burger.  Democrats have lost their minds when it comes to President Trump.”

• “Those who believe that the transcript is a ‘Smoking Gun’ for impeachment, do something about it - have the courage of your convictions.  The House of Representatives should take a vote to formally open an impeachment inquiry.  Let the American people see where Members of Congress stand!”

• “If you are underwhelmed by this transcript, you are not alone or ‘crazy.’  Those willing to impeach the president over this transcript have shown their hatred for President Trump overrides reason.”

• “From a quid pro quo aspect of the phone call – there’s nothing there.”

• “Underwhelming.  If you’re looking for a circumstance where the President of the United States was threatening Ukraine with cutting off aid unless they investigate his political opponent, you would be very disappointed. That does not exist. So from my point of view, to impeach any president over a phone call like this would be insane.”

• “Did the President of the United States take money that was going to Ukraine and threaten to withhold it if he did not get help in his reelection? The answer is no. Did Joe Biden threaten to withhold money if you don’t fire somebody in Ukraine? Yes. Maybe there is a good reason to do that but here’s the elephant in the room: the person you asked to be fired was investigating companies that your son was part of. Now, somebody needs to look at that. Somebody outside of politics.”

• “In the phone call everybody is talking about, there is not one scintilla of evidence that the President threatened Ukraine with withholding money because they wanted him to do Trump’s political bidding. That did not happen.”

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