WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday that President Trump brought up the idea of ending special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election numerous times over the weekend.
During an event hosted by the Greenville County Republican Party and radio station WGTK’s “The Answer” program, an audience member asked why he and Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., who joined the senator on stage, don't step up and end Mueller’s probe.
“Did Trump ask that question? He must have mentioned that about 20 times,” said Graham, who golfed with Trump in New Jersey on Sunday and had dinner with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.
Graham said that he told Trump that he has so far seen “zero evidence” of the president colluding with Russia and said, “I told the president, ‘I know you don’t like it. I know you feel put upon. You just got to ride it out.’”
The South Carolina senator said that he wants Republicans to win in November’s midterm elections and if Congress were to try to stop Mueller’s investigation, it would be the only thing people talk about.
“I told the president this: ‘I promise you, you’ll be treated fairly. I promise you that the people who put the Clinton investigation in the tank, they’re going to have their day too,’” he added.
Graham’s comments come after Trump tweeted last week that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should end the Russia investigation. Sessions, however, recused himself from it and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein oversees the probe.
GOP leaders have dismissed Democratic demands to pass legislation that would protect Mueller and the investigation and a group of conservative House Republicans recently filed an impeachment resolution against Rosenstein, but stopped short of forcing a floor vote on the measure ahead of the chamber’s month-long August recess.