As expected, a vicious, mendacious, deeply immoral Republican Party propaganda war over the Trump indictment is underway. This 8 minute video with Trump supporter Lindsey Graham goes over what appear to be about the best arguments that Trump supporters can come up with. This is loaded with hyper-partisan political lies, slanders and sleaze.
If you could stomach that dreck, here's a fact-based analysis of Lindsey's lies and deceit.
Hillary's emailgate: The DoJ under Trump had four years to go after Hillary for her alleged crimes, but nothing happened. From that lack of indictment and prosecution, I believe that there was not enough evidence to prosecute Hillary. Presumably, the available evidence was insufficient to prove criminal intent. Given that, Graham's blither about Hillary committing crimes by smashing cell phones with hammers is pure Republican Party bullshit and lies.
Hunter's laptopgate: Waddabout Hunter's laptop? Wikipedia comments:
Trump attempted to turn the [Hunter's laptop] story into an October surprise to hurt Joe Biden's campaign, falsely alleging he had acted corruptly regarding Ukraine while in office. The hard drive data had been shared with the FBI and Republican operatives such as Trump advisor Steve Bannon before it became publicly known. In December 2019, under the authority of a subpoena issued by a Wilmington grand jury, the FBI seized the laptop from Mac Isaac. .... Despite persistent allegations that the laptop contents indicated corruption by Joe Biden, a joint investigation by two Republican Senate committees released in September 2020 did not find wrongdoing by him, nor did a Republican House Oversight committee investigation by May 2023.
So, the FBI and DoJ had from December 2019 until January 21, 2021 to investigate the evidence in Hunter's laptop. But again, there was no indictment and prosecution. Therefore, the laptop scandal was another insulting GOP vaporware nothingburger, regardless of what insulting lies Lindsey spews. A detailed WaPo analysis suggests that laptop evidence could be challenged as unreliable and/or tampered with.
Bill Clinton's Lewinskygate: Lindsey also drags Bill Clinton into this. Clinton was impeached by the House for obstructing justice and committing perjury. The Senate acquitted so the impeachment died there.
Both obstruction and perjury are actual crimes. But neither violated the Espionage Act, which is what most of the crimes Trump is accused of having committed. After Clinton left office, Bush was in office for 8 years. In those 8 years, there was no criminal indictment and prosecution for those crimes.
So, Lindsey dragging Bill into this looks like another insulting Republican nothingburger.
Whistleblowergate: Lindsey then howls in sanctimonious moral outrage that whistleblowers who turn national security secrets over to foreign nations get prosecuted for espionage. He then argues that Trump did not turn secrets over to any other nation and therefore no espionage was committed. This lie is Lindsey's most subtle deceit. Trump is charged under 18 U.S. Code § 793(e), Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information, which is part of the Espionage Act. That law reads as follows:
18 U.S. Code § 793, Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information
(e) Whoever having unauthorized possession of, access to, or control over any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, or note relating to the national defense, or information relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully communicates, delivers, transmits or causes to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted, or attempts to communicate, deliver, transmit or cause to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same and fails to deliver it to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it;
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
The part in red specifies that anyone, not just a foreign agent or enemy, who is illegally willfully shows the defense information shall be fined or imprisoned. That makes Lindsey's comments a lie. The last highlighted part specifies that simply refusing to turn over defense information to the government violates the law. Trump refused repeatedly. That also makes Lindsey a liar.
The subtlety in Lindsey's lie here is that he says Trump did not commit espionage. That may or may not be true, depending on how espionage is defined in the law and Lindsey's mind. But Trump clearly did violate the Espionage Act law by retaining the 31 national defense documents and not turning them over when asked. That violated 18 U.S.C. § 793(e) 31 times. What is less clear is how many documents Trump showed to other people, which would violate the provision of the law highlighted in red.
Trump's plea deal offer(gate): In a show of arrogance and contempt for the rule of law of galactic proportions, Newsweek reported that Trump has mulled a plea deal contingent on the government paying him damages: "Trump further predicted that he will not be convicted on the federal charges stemming from the documents case. He also stressed that he would not accept a plea deal unless he was presented one 'where they pay me some damages.'" And, Trump might also demand that the US government has to issue an apology for indicting him and reinstall him immediately as president, while immediately jailing Bill, Hillary, Joe and Hunter because they are all horrible, communist, criminal, pedophile lizard people who need to be locked up!!
Germaine's letter to the State Bar of South Carolina(gate): Lindsey graduated from the University of South Carolina law school in 1981. His public** bar credentials page indicates that he is an inactive member of the bar, but in good standing. Germaine might write a letter to the state bar there suggesting they look into Lindsey's comments. Since his screed on TV was loaded with easily verified lies, maybe there's some basis in South Carolina to discipline a scumbag, even if it is an inactive member. Germaine is unsure if it's worth the cost of a stamp to point out that Graham is a bald faced liar to the SC bar. Much confusion reigns in poor Germaine's fevered mind.
** No, I am not doxxing Lindsey. His bar page is public, just like mine is here in California. Anyone can look him up.
This guy is in good standing??
What does it take to be in bad standing,
shoot someone on 5th Ave. in broad daylight?
In the interview, one can easily hear Lindsey Graham's frustration, loud and clear. One has to concede that. Unfortunately for America and democracy, Lindsey is an expert vicious, lying bag of insulting sleaze. And, he's a good actor.
Far worse, Lindsey is probably right to say that what he says in this interview is what most Republicans actually believe. That is terrifying.
Acknowledgement: Thanks to PSS (Primordial Soup Susan) for bringing up the Graham interview on ABC.
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