Senator Lindsey Graham threatened the White House with the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office during the Capitol Riot, according to a new book.
The allegations come from excerpts of the new book, “This Will Not Pass,” by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.
Axios published a review of the book and noted Graham’s comments came in the midst of a telephone call to then-White House counsel Pat Cipollone.
Graham reportedly told Cipollone that if Trump didn’t denounce the rioters more aggressively “we’ll be asking you for the 25th Amendment” to remove him from office.
The 25th Amendment includes a provision allowing for the removal of the President from power if he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
NEW: Lindsey GRAHAM threatened Trump with the 25th Amendment while the 1/6 siege was in progress@mikeallen w/first look at THIS WILL NOT PASS by @jmartNYT & me 👉 https://t.co/lrhdPa2TMl
Much more to come on Trump, Biden … everybody
Order it: https://t.co/TSjYPNqafo
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) March 16, 2022
Lindsey Graham Threatened Trump With 25th Amendment
Aside from threatening Trump with the 25th Amendment if he didn’t issue a more forceful statement condemning Capitol rioters, Lindsey Graham made other curious comments according to the book.
The South Carolina Republican reportedly viewed the events of January 6 as a chance for the GOP to pivot away from Trump.
“People will say, ‘I don’t want to be associated with that’ … There will be a rallying effect for a while, the country says: We’re better than this,” he said in an interview with the authors.
Lindsey Graham Reportedly Pushed for the 25th Amendment to Be Invoked on Jan. 6 to Oust Trump #SmartNews https://t.co/oOjXbegSJq
— Meg (@Megresistor) March 16, 2022
Graham would also praise Biden, according to the book, as the right man for that moment in time.
“I mean, how mad can you get at Joe Biden?” he said.
Wanted Capitol Police to Shoot Rioters
Lindsey Graham isn’t the only Republican to have considered using the 25th Amendment.
Former top aides Steve Mnuchin and Mike Pompeo, according to a book from ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl titled, “Betrayal,” also considered the tactic.
Karl claims that Pompeo, who was Trump’s Secretary of State, “asked for a legal analysis of the 25th Amendment and how it would work.”
The reporter also asserted that “Mnuchin had several conversations about the 25th Amendment.”
Mnuchin and Pompeo discussed a plan to oust Trump from office on Jan. 6 https://t.co/fEREGbW6gM
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) November 15, 2021
The Political Insider reported a day after the January 6 riot that cabinet members had been discussing the 25th Amendment.
The House eventually impeached President Trump for his alleged role in inciting the riots, but he was ultimately acquitted by the Senate.
Lindsey Graham also urged police officers to use their guns during the January 6th riot at the Capitol, pressing them to “take back the Senate!”
Graham, according to one report, was livid that senators had been forced to flee their chambers due to protesters that had entered the Capitol.
“What are you doing? Take back the Senate! You’ve got guns. Use them,” he told police personnel.
“We give you guns for a reason,” added Graham at the time. “Use them.”
Gallego: Lindsey Graham is a hypocrite, a liar, and a coward all wrapped up into one human being. pic.twitter.com/e26G9zTPPV
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 31, 2021
Graham recently took issue with former President Trump’s suggestion that if he runs and wins the presidency again in 2024 he may issue pardons for non-violent offenders who were caught up in the Capitol riot.
“No, I don’t want to send any signal that it was OK to defile the Capitol,” Graham said in a CBS interview. “I think it’s inappropriate … I don’t want to do anything that would make this more likely in the future.”
“I think it is inappropriate” — Lindsey Graham on Trump promising pardons to those convicted of crimes connected to the January 6 attack on Congress
Realizing what he just did, Graham tried to appease MAGA by bringing up Kamala Harris.
Lindsey is such a POS.#DemVoice1 pic.twitter.com/mg2yIO86Qz
— The Jewish Ginger Resister (@JewishResister) January 30, 2022
Trump responded by labeling the Senator a ‘RINO.’
“Well, Lindsey Graham’s wrong. I mean, Lindsey’s a nice guy, but he’s a RINO. Lindsey’s wrong,” Trump said.
President Trump Responding To @LindseyGrahamSC Calling Pardoning Jan 6 Political Prisoners “Inappropriate”
“Well, Lindsey Graham is wrong. I mean Lindsey is a nice guy, but he’s a RINO.”
“Lindsey Graham doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.”pic.twitter.com/XPD27l3Y5Z
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) February 2, 2022
“Lindsey Graham doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about if he says that,” an infuriated Trump added.
This article was originally published by The Political Insider. Read the original article.
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