For the Sanctity of our Republic, Graham Should be Ejected from the Senate

Last month, the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, described a call he had with Lindsey Graham. In the call, Graham was implying that he throw out legal absentee votes in the state if there were sufficient signature irregularities in particular counties. Even though Raffensperger is a Republican and has stated that his family both voted for Trump and donated to his campaign, he would not break the law and undermine our democratic republic in the way that Graham hoped.

Graham of course denied the allegation and says it was mischaracterized. However, the Secretary of State also had a witness to confirm the account. Raffensperger seems to also have few reasons to make up such a serious claim. It does, however, fit very well into the larger behavior of Graham who has said that Trump should refuse to concede and has defended Trump more than anyone else at almost every turn.

The reality is that this move by Graham was not just a misguided political action. It was criminal behavior, attempted interference in the election, and an affront to the values of our republic. It is particularly damning in Georgia, as this plan to throw out votes would particularly affect the African-American community. How dare Senator Graham seek to throw out primarily African-American votes in a state that just lost the great civil rights leader, John Lewis, who marched for voting rights in Selma with Dr. King. It makes the racist actions of Strom Thurmond almost seem subtle in comparison.

Graham absolutely must be ejected from the Senate. We have become accustomed to lawlessness and the breaking of norms and laws under Trump, but if we allow this usurpation of our very democratic process, we will ensure that our republic will soon fall. People like Graham cannot just be censored, reprimanded, or called out on Twitter, they must be ejected from their congressional roles and ultimately Graham should face prosecution and criminal charges. Even though it looks like Graham and Trump will not be successful in seeking to overturn the election, we cannot just shrug at their attempts to do so. If we do not hold them to account, this will certainly happen again.

I will admit that I usually vote for the democratic candidates, but Graham used to be a senator that I respected. He was one of the few in his party that was willing to stand for immigrant rights. I remember going with young DREAMers to Washington to meet with him as he was proposing bipartisan legislation with Dick Durbin. Believe it or not, at the beginning of Trump’s rise he was actually the one Republican senator who was the strongest in his condemnation of Trump. Something happened along the way, and he sold any values he had for power. These latest episodes are the tragic end of that path. Graham has disqualified himself from continuing to serve in our republic and to represent the people of South Carolina as he has betrayed the very Constitution he swore to uphold