Lindsey Graham warns Trump's credibility will suffer if no change on wiretapping claim
Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that President Trump is going to lose his credibility with the public if he doesn’t provide evidence to support his wiretapping claim or if he doesn’t retract it.
“I think the burden now is on President Trump to justify those statements or to retract them,” the South Carolina Republican said in an interview on “CBS This Morning,” referring to Mr. Trump’s claim that President Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign.
FBI Director James Comey said Monday that neither the bureau nor the Justice Department has evidence to back up that accusation.
“We live in a country where the rule of law does matter and when you have the highest official in the land, the president of the United States accusing his predecessor of illegal activity with no evidence, that hurts our democracy,” Graham said.
If the president doesn’t refuse to back down, Graham said he will “suffer over time with the American people,” adding that by exacerbating the issue, it might not help him if he ever has to tell the public that North Korea is about to develop a missile that could hit the U.S.
“I think President Trump is going to put his credibility at risk if he continues his narrative without proof,” he said.
As for the GOP health care bill to repeal and replace Obamacare that the House is scheduled to vote on Thursday, Graham advised conservatives in the Freedom Caucus in the lower chamber to stick to what they believe is right. President Trump warned the House GOP Conference Tuesday that they could lose their seats in 2018 if they oppose the measure.
“In this case, stick to your guns if you don’t believe it will help American people,” Graham said. “Don’t let any politician tell you you must vote for a bill or you’ll lose your job because how do you explain to people you represent, that the reason I voted for this bill is because I was afraid I would lose my job.”