Lindsey Graham on IG investigation into Russia probe: I want the American people to see what happened
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham says he believes Inspector General Horowitz's report is going to be ugly and damning regarding the DOJ's handling of the Russia probe.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is adamant about revealing what went on behind the scenes of the Russia investigation and is looking forward to the American people learning about what happened.
Graham pointed to three investigations of the investigators that are taking place: one by his committee; one by Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, who was appointed by Attorney General Bill Barr to conduct a probe; and one by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
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"I believe the Horowitz report will be ugly and damning," Graham told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures." That report has been anticipated for months, but it has faced delays in recent months.
"Every time you turn around you find something new," Graham explained. "Mr. Horowitz is doing a very in-depth dive" into the FBI's use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to acquire a warrant to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Graham predicted that the report will finally come out in the coming weeks.
Another man linked to the early stages of the investigation -- former Trump campaign member George Papadopoulos -- is eager to tell his side of the story after serving a brief sentence for providing a false statement to investigators. Papadopoulos is said to have brought about the investigation by revealing to an Australian diplomat (who later alerted U.S. officials) that he had information that Russia had damaging information about Hillary Clinton. This was after he heard about this from Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud.
Graham said that once Horowitz's IG report comes out, he would like Papadopoulos to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Graham believes that, based on interview transcripts, Papadopolous was "clearly" not working with Russians.
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The more information that gets declassified, the better, according to Graham.
"I want to declassify as much as possible … I don’t want people to believe what I said, I want them to read for themselves how bad it was," he declared. Graham claimed that the FBI relied on the dossier compiled by Christopher Steele when they applied for the FISA warrant, despite Steele being "an unreliable informant" who hated President Trump.
"I want it all out, I want people to see how off the rails this investigation got, and I want people to be held accountable, and I am patient," he said. "I'm not in a hurry to do it, I want to do it right."
Graham also expressed a desire to find out just who was ultimately responsible for the Russia investigation, saying he is "curious about the role the CIA played here." He also questioned whether it went all the way to the top.
"Who knew about this in the White House?" he wondered. "Was President Obama briefed ... I'd like to know that."
Graham's lengthy interview touched on several other high-profile subject matters. He discussed recent polling that showed several Democratic presidential candidates beating President Trump in a general election.
"Well, I'm not buying it," Graham said, predicting that unless Trump has a significant blunder in Afghanistan, "the president is going to clean their clock on the stage."
Graham also criticized Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for their recent hostility toward Israel, after the Jewish state barred them from visiting due to their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement aimed at economically crippling Israel.
"It's been bipartisan up to now about Israel," Graham said, pointing out how Israel's enemies are enemies of the U.S. as well.
"Those who want to destroy Israel want to destroy us. Name one radical Islamic group that wants to destroy the State Israel that doesn't want to destroy America," he challenged, referring to Iran, ISIS and al Qaeda.
"The policies coming out of the Democratic Party toward Israel are dangerous," he warned. "Tlaib and Omar openly calling for an economic boycott of the State of Israel which will destroy the State of Israel.
Graham said that the extreme positions of Democrats will lead to a Trump victory in 2020.
"The bottom line here is they are radical when it comes to Israel, they're radical on the economy, they're weak when it comes to fighting terrorism," he said. "Donald Trump is going to win this election because he's been a damn good president and what they are trying to do is make America a socialist country, and that's not going to work."
Earlier in the interview, Graham discussed another controversial idea endorsed by some Democrats: court packing. Several 2020 hopefuls have suggested expanding the Supreme Court's roster.
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Last week, a ground of Democratic Senators filed a brief that accused the Supreme Court of being "not well," and instructed the court to "heal" itself before they face calls for restructuring. Graham was having none of it.
"When you hear expanding the court, that’s code for liberals packing the court. Over my dead body, it's not going to happen.
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