2021-03-10

Georgia Sec. of State Raffensperger told CNN he felt Graham was telling him to “look hard and see how many ballots you could throw out.”

Is it appropriate for a Senator under criminal investigation to remain on a U.S. Senate committee with responsibility to protect Constitutional freedoms and civil liberties?

Salon reported on our March 8 letter sent to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Tuesday’s edition.

Sen. Lindsey Graham spent much of 2020 making spurious claims of vote rigging. Then he appears to have engaged in an attempt to tamper with an election – in a state he doesn’t represent.

Last month, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney is probing the November 13 call by Senator Lindsey Graham to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The district attorney is investigating whether former President Donald Trump and Sen. Graham broke Georgia laws by attempting to tamper with last year’s Georgia election. Reuters reported on March 6 that Atlanta lawyer John Floyd, an authority on prosecuting state racketeering cases, has been hired to provide help as needed. Potential violations could include conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office, and involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration.

A Graham spokesperson said the Senator simply asked how the signature verification process worked. Raffensperger told CNN that he felt Graham was telling him to “look hard and see how many ballots you could throw out.”

Sen. Graham sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security? In consideration of the criminal probe, should he sit in that position? We don’t think so.

That’s why we wrote a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asking that Senator Graham be removed from the Judiciary Committee.

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Scott Peterson is executive director of Checks and Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.