Graham: I'm worried about a Dem version of the Tea Party
Lindsey Graham is concerned that the division within the Democratic Party will make way for a more extreme faction of the left. And he thinks such a group will jeopardize Congress’ ability to get things done.
“We’ve got our problems inside the Republican Party. But I tell you, this division in the Democratic Party worries me as an American,” the South Carolina Republican said on CNN’s At This Hour on Friday. “I can see a version of the Tea Party coming being formed in the Democratic Party from the left — going after moderate Democrats who won’t toe the line to a Socialist agenda. And you’re gonna wind up not being able to do anything.”
Graham also said that the pressure many Clinton supporters are now putting on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to exit the race is understandably frustrating to his supporters. (Though he condemned any form of violence.)
“I don’t know if he’s hurting Hillary Clinton, but If I was a Bernie Sanders supporter I’d be pretty upset,” he said. Graham was referring to Clinton supporters saying that the longer Sanders stays in the race, the more he hurts the former secretary of State's chances in the general election.
Graham also weighed in on the foreign policy stances in a likely general election matchup between Donald Trump and Clinton. Graham has said he will not be supporting either candidate but will help whoever becomes president.
“To Mr. Trump: You better come up with a strategy in Syria,” Graham said. “To Hillary Clinton: You better come up with a strategy that we have different than we have today in Syria, or we’re gonna get attacked here. This airliner should be a wakeup call if it is terrorism.”
On Thursday, an EgyptAir plane carrying 66 people crashed in the Mediterranean Sea, and many have speculated the cause was terrorism.
Graham said that he has spoken with Trump about foreign policy and he asked a lot of good questions, but it hasn’t changed his mind to vote for the presumptive Republican nominee.
And he was still critical of Trump on Friday when he was asked about the billionaire being open to speaking to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. “Big mistake, because every other dictator in the world is gonna look at you differently. The last thing you want to do is empower this guy in North Korea,” Graham said. “I think it would be a mistake for the president of the United States to meet directly with this butcher.”
On MSNBC's Morning Joe on Friday, Trump said he wouldn’t meet with the North Korean leader but would speak with him.