Graham blames Pelosi for Capitol riot because speaker 'didn't provide enough security' & vows to 'get to bottom of it'

LINDSEY Graham blamed Nancy Pelosi for the US Capitol riots because he claimed the speaker "didn't provide enough security" and vowed to "get to bottom of it."

The Republican Senator and longtime Trump ally's comments came after the president was impeached on a charge of citing insurrection in the US Capitol riots.



Pelosi's office immediately shot down Graham, as the GOP Senator was accused of trying to "shift blame."

Graham's comments came as he spoke with Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures.

"To see people come and take over the Capitol – the House and the Senate – beat officers, defile the seat of government – how in the hell could that happen?" Graham asked of the Washington DC events..

"Where was Nancy Pelosi? It's her job to provide Capitol security.

He added: "We'll get to the bottom of that."

Pelosi's office did not immediately respond to The Sun for comment.

Pelosi's Chief of Staff Drew Hammill slammed Graham for attempting to "shift blame" in a statement on social media.





"This disgraceful attempt to shift blame for the mob attack on the Capitol is absurd & pathetic," Hammill wrote.

"He need only look in the mirror if he wants to start pointing a finger.

"He has repeatedly cast doubts on results of a fair election & dangerously fanned flames of rightwing quackery," Hammill added.

On January 6, Trump told his supporters at a rally to go to Congress and "fight like hell" as he made false claims of election fraud.

In violent events that unfolded, five people were killed.

Multiple people from the riots – including Texas realtor Jenna Ryan – have said they were "following orders" from the president.

Ryan told KTVT "I listen to my president who told me to go to the Capitol."

Since the riots, Trump has called for calm and condemned violence.

"I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week," Trump said. "Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country and no place in our movement."

He added: "Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for.

Speaking with Fox, Graham called on Republicans and Joe Biden to stand up to Trump's impeachment.

"President Trump is trying to heal the nation," Graham said.

"Pursuing impeachment after he leaves the office will further divide the country, it will ruin the start of your Presidency, Joe Biden.

"You need to stand up to the radical left and tell [incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck ] Schumer to dismiss what I think is an unconstitutional attempt to impeach President Trump out of office.

Graham called the impeachment proceedings "insane at every level and insisted "it will create further division in the country. "

Ten Republicans voted to impeach Trump, leaving the final vote 232 to 197.

Graham dubbed the proceedings a "scarlet letter impeachment" and accused Democrats of trying to keep Trump from being an elected official in the future.

"To my Republican colleagues in the Senate: If we embraced an unconstitutional impeachment of Donald Trump after he's out of office, it will destroy the party," Graham claimed.

Graham also urged Trump not to pardon those involved in the riots.

"You breached the security of the Capitol, you interrupted a joint session of Congress, you tried to intimidate us all," Graham said to the rioters.

"You should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he insisted.

He said "to seek a pardon would be wrong," and he hopes "we don't go down that road."

Graham previously claimed impeaching Trump when he's out of office may lead to impeaching other former presidents – including George Washington.

He also slammed the FBI's probe into alleged links between Trump and Russia as one of the "most corrupt" in history, and released interview transcripts from the Senate review.

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