Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Saturday doubled down on his suggestion from last week that there would be “riots in the streets” if former President Trump were prosecuted for mishandling classified information.
What he's saying: “Here’s what I said, the raid on [former] President Trump’s home, the likely nominee for 2024, better bear some fruit here,” Graham told CNBC's Steve Sedgwick during an interview. “If it’s just about mishandling classified information, we’ve had a standard set when it came to Hillary Clinton.”
- “What I tried to do was state the obvious,” Graham said.
Catch up quick: Graham made the "riots in the street" comment during a Fox News appearance last Sunday as he claimed the justice system has a "double standard when it comes to Trump.”
- “I’ll say this, if there’s a prosecution of Donald Trump for mishandling classified information, after the Clinton debacle … there’ll be riots in the streets,” Graham said last week.
Graham faced backlash from Democrats and others after making the comment, including Biden who condemned "the idea you turn on a television and see senior senators and congressmen saying if such and such happens, there'll be blood in the street. Where the hell are we?"
- "There is no excuse for this irresponsible rhetoric, which not only invites violence but also defies democratic norms," The Washington Post wrote in an editorial last Monday.
Go deeper: What we know — and don't know — about Trump and the FBI
