Lindsey Olin Graham (born 9 July 1955) is an American politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, he is the senior United States Senator from that state as of 2007. He serves on the Armed Services and Judiciary Committees.
Quotes
2000s
- Let's just get to the political heart of the matter, No matter what you want to call it, beyond border enforcement, a lot of people, particularly on our side, don't want to have a debate about this. Even if you debate it, you're wrong. Even if you're open-minded about compromise, you're wrong. It's a very simple answer to a complex problem. Send them all back. End of discussion, end of debate. Now that to me is not a realistic approach to a real problem.
- On immigration; articles.sfgate.com, 17 March 2006 accessed 4 February 2010
- I'm not a libertarian. If you are, you're welcome to vote for me and help this party, but we're not gonna build the party around libertarian ideas.
- South Carolina GOP convention (16 May 2009), as quoted in "Lindsey Graham gets combative over GOP's future" (2009), Political Thinker, State of Georgia: Cable News Network
2010s
- And here's the first thing I would do if I were president of the United States. I wouldn't let Congress leave town until we fix this. I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to. We're not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts. We are not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts.
- "Politics and Pies" forum hosted by Concord City Republican Committee (7 March 2015)
- I am running (for president) because I think the world is falling apart.
- As quoted in "Lindsey Graham announcing at CBS “This Morning” interview his presidential bid" (18 May 2015), by Dylan Stableford, "YAHOO Politics"
- "Everything I know about the Iranians I learned at the pool room," [Graham] said. "I met a lot of liars, and I know the Iranians are lying."
- As quoted in "Republican conference: Day two - Bush 'proud' of family" (22 May 2015), by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation
- We have never seen more threats against our nation and its citizens than we do today.
- As quoted in "America's Next Top Fearmonger: The presidential candidates compete to scare the daylights out of the U.S. public." (22 May 2015), by Robert Golan-Vilella, National Interest
- There are bad people in this world who are motivated by hate.
- As quoted in "South Carolina Governor Releases Strangely Obtuse Statement On Black Church Shooting" (18 June 2015), by Julia Craven, The Huffington Post
- I can't explain this. I don't know what would make a young man at 21 get so sick and twisted to kill nine people in a church; this is beyond my understanding... There are real people out there who are organized to kill people in religion and based on race. But it's 2015 there are people out there looking for Christians to kill them. So this is a mean time we live in.
- As quoted in "Lindsey Graham Says SC Church Shooting Suspect Dylann Roof Was His Niece's Classmate" (18 June 2015), by Ali Dukakis, ABC News
- As a party, we are better to risk losing without Donald Trump than trying to win with him. Enough already with Mister Trump.
- Twitter post (August 2015)
- It’s like [choosing between] being shot or poisoned.
- Lindsey Graham about whether he would choose Trump or Cruz for the President of the United States. February 21, 2016
- If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody could convict you.
- Embracing Donald Trump is embracing demographic death.
- Commenting on Donald J. Trump's unpopularity among Hispanic American voters (6 May 2016)
- Our government has a responsibility to defend our borders, but we must do so in a way that makes us safer and upholds all that is decent and exceptional about our nation.
- Statement by Senators McCain & Graham on Executive Order on Immigration (27 January 2017) from the Office of Senator John McCain regarding [Donald J. Trump]'s Executive Order 13769 entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States", as quoted by Jacob Sallum from Reason magazine in Here Is What Republican Critics of Trump's Immigration Order Are Saying on January 31, 2017
- Finally, a president willing to take on this absurd policy of birthright citizenship.
I’ve always supported comprehensive immigration reform – and at the same time – the elimination of birthright citizenship.
In addition, I plan to introduce legislation along the same lines as the proposed executive order from President- 7:45am then 7:51am then 11:01am as quoted 30 October 2018 by CBC
Quotes about Graham
- This is deeply misleading at best and laughably false at worst. You could, I suppose, defend Graham’s assertion by saying that we face a greater number of threats than we have in the past. But it makes very little sense in a country that, among other things, has seen its own White House burned down, fought a bloody civil war and two world wars, and survived several close brushes with apocalyptic thermonuclear war during the Cold War.
- Robert Golan-Vilella, as quoted in "America's Next Top Fearmonger: The presidential candidates compete to scare the daylights out of the U.S. public." (22 May 2015), by R. Golan-Vilella, National Interest.
- The Senator's repulsive remarks are racist, period. This type of discourse should have no place in American politics... Graham essentially admits to being a bigot, because nothing says 'I'm stereotyping' more than basing judgment of an entire people solely on a handful of interactions in a pool room... Graham's racist statement raises concerns about his ability to speak on vital national security matters such as the nuclear negotiations with Iran. Because if you judge an entire people based on your experience running a pool hall-liquor store, do you really have the judgment to keep America safe? This is Graham's 'I can see Russia from my house' moment... Senator Graham owes the Iranian-American communit, one of the most successful communities in the United States, an apology. And all others presidential hopefuls,Republicans and Democrats, should condemn his bigoted comments.
- Trita Parsi, as quoted in "NIAC Condemns Senator Graham’s Racist Statement, Demands Apology" (24 May 2015), National Iranian American Council.
- Trump’s normally loquacious rivals are swaggeringly eager to confront Vladimir Putin, but are too invertebrate — Lindsey Graham is an honorable exception — to voice robust disgust with Trump and the spirit of, the police measures necessary for, and the cruelties that would accompany, his policy.
- George Will, "Trump Should Have No Place in the Party of Liberty and Limited Government" (22 August 2015), National Review.
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