Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, said Sunday the 2024 GOP presidential candidate is getting a political boost in support after being indicted for allegedly mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
“I think Donald Trump is stronger today politically than he was before,” the South Carolina Republican said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I think the espionage charges are ridiculous. I think what happened to Hillary Clinton, [what] she got away with, is very similar to what happened to President Trump. And we’ll have an election, and we’ll have a trial.”
“I promise you this, most Americans believe — most Republicans believe — that the law is used as a weapon against Donald Trump,” Mr. Graham said.
Mr. Trump was charged by a federal grand jury in South Florida with 37 felony counts related to his handling of classified materials after leaving office, in which special counsel Jack Smith alleges the ex-president sought to obstruct justice and rebuff the government’s attempts to recover the documents.
In separate polls released Sunday by ABC News/Ipsos and CBS News/YouGov, nearly half of U.S. voters said the federal indictment against Mr. Trump is politically motivated, but roughly the same percentage also said he should have been charged.
Mr. Trump continues to dominate the increasingly crowded 2024 Republican presidential primary, with 61% support, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his nearest competitor, with 23% support.
“The game has changed for future presidents,” Mr. Graham said. “Bill Clinton, under the 2023 standard, would be prosecuted for perjury. All I can say is we changed the game.”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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