Critics characterized Sen. Lindsey Graham’s “riots in the street” comments as irresponsible, and some said they were threats.
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham said Sunday that there would be “riots in the street” if former president Donald Trump is prosecuted for taking classified government documents to his private Mar-a-Lago residence after leaving the White House.
Graham (R-S.C.) twice made a “riots in the street” remark during an appearance on Fox News’s “Sunday Night in America” as he launched into a broader commentary against what he perceived to be a two-tiered justice system tilted against the former president.
“There is a double standard when it comes to Trump,” Graham said, contrasting the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago to the agency’s probe of his political rivals, including Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, and President Biden’s son Hunter. (Hunter Biden is under investigation for tax liabilities, though Graham and other Republicans regularly say the FBI should probe his overseas business dealings.)
“And I’ll say this: If there is a prosecution of Donald Trump for mishandling classified information after the Clinton debacle … there will be riots in the street,” Graham said.
Graham’s comments drew rebukes from critics who called Graham’s remarks “irresponsible” and “shameful.
