Lindsey Graham calls the Ukraine transcript 'very appropriate.' Mitt Romney says it's 'deeply troubling.'
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) thinks the transcript of President Trump's Ukraine call is a giant nothingburger. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) disagrees.
After the White House released the memorandum of Trump's call with Ukraine's president, in which he pressed for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, Romney told reporters that "what we've seen from the transcript itself is deeply troubling," per CBS News' Alan He. Romney wouldn't say whether he believes the House impeachment inquiry is appropriate.
Graham went the opposite direction, rallying behind Trump by tweeting that the transcript is "a nothing (non-quid pro quo) burger." The South Carolina senator also told reporters, "From my point of view, to impeach any president over a phone call like this would be insane," adding that Ukraine's president "did not feel threatened" and "felt fine with what happened" and that what Trump said was "very appropriate."
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House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), meanwhile, sides with Graham, in a statement saying "there was absolutely no quid pro quo" on the call.
At the same time, Democrats doubled down on their calls for impeachment, arguing there was an implicit quid pro quo on the call, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeting, "The president of the United States has betrayed our country. That's not a political statement — it's a harsh reality, and we must act." Brendan Morrow
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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