there are lots of challenges covering the news in the trump era especially with the impeachment inquiry heating up. take the congressman storming the secure deposition yesterday. or lindsey graham resolution today condemning democrats for the impeachment process. are these big news developments? attempts to distract. reflect or both. is it news or not? here s to discuss. the guy who knows it. phillip bump knows. i really don t know. thank you all. senator graham introduces this resolution blasting democrats for the handling of the impeachment inquiry. he wants to have a vote. it s all about process. it s not about facts in this case. is this news or not? certainly news when a senator
stands up and introduces big news or not. a lot are by necessity big news. it s an impeachment. in this case it is important to context it as being lindsey graham a ally of the president echoing the rhetoric he s hear frg the white house and at the same time making a case. not particularly robust case. the fact to the constitution. all the arguments about due process which only apply in the senate. it is clearly a political argument being made. it s a political process. you look like you re at the kids table. your chair is so low. everybody has to be taken down to my level. all tv. katherine, put this up. cnn dug up an old clip of congressm congressman graham. during clintons impeachment in 1998. he defends republicans for
finding the truth. thus far, this president has been the enemy of the press. as you know, republican senator lindsey graham is placing the blame squarely on the saudi crown prince, mohamad bin salman and he said, in his words, congress is going to sanction saudi arabia. congressman graham has been a close ally of president trump lately. are you surprised to hear him speak so bluntly about this? no, not at all. many of us in congress have been very disturbed about the way saudi arabia is conducting the war in yemen, bombing buses, killing children, all of it using american-made equipment and with american support. congress, at least those democrats, myself included in the house of representatives, are saying enough already. congressman, hold on for one moment. our white house correspondent jim acosta is getting some major breaking news. the president apparently what, jim, has given an
you know, you are talking about a human being who was apparently chopped into pieces in a consulate here, and the president is not listening, it would seem to me, to republicans in the congress, lindsey graham in particular, who has been out there saying, i don t want to do business with the saudis anymore if this is what is going on, comparing this to the kavanaugh hearings? i mean this is an apple and an orange we are talking about here. he needs to act as a moral leader, you know. people look to the united states for moral leadership, and instead of talking about we need to get to the bottom of this, et cetera, et cetera, yes, pompeo is over there, he is talking about, well, be careful, you don t want to convict the saudis too quickly. let s be nice to the saudis. by the way, how would you feel if you were a judge, justice kavanaugh in this
cnn town hall. congressman graham with the most solemn occasion said, you know where i come from, any man calling a woman at 2:00 a.m. is up to no good. i knew then lindsey graham was a man i wanted to spend time with. because he s entertaining. he s dedicated and, by the way, his beginnings were rather humble as many of you may not know, including the fact he raise zed his sister after his parents died. it s quite a quite a great american success story. he is loyal to his friends. he loves his country. if he has to stand-up to his party for his country, so be it. he would die for this country. i love him to death. [ applause ]