Two Democratic lawmakers — who are part of the so-called “squad” — are calling on Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) resignation.
“It’s time for Lindsey Graham to submit his resignation,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted.
Omar’s demand came after a report of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) alleging that during his call with Graham on Friday, “It sure looked like he was wanting to go down that road,” regarding finding a way to toss ballots that were cast legally, according to The Washington Post.
He also allegedly asked Raffensperger whether he “had the power to toss all mail ballots in counties found to have higher rates of nonmatching signatures,” as the Post reports.
It’s time for Lindsey Graham to submit his resignation. https://t.co/XFzHmdV66I
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 18, 2020
Soon after Omar’s demand, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) responded on Twitter Wednesday to Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-Wash.) call for Graham to resign, “Lindsey Graham attempted to commit voter fraud. He can’t get away with it. Actions result in consequences.”
“This unethical and possibly illegal action from a sitting U.S. Senator demands a swift consequence,” Tlaib added.
Lindsey Graham attempted to commit voter fraud. He can't get away with it. Actions result in consequences. This unethical and possibly illegal action from a sitting U.S. Senator demands a swift consequence. Thank you @RepJayapal for demanding it. https://t.co/LNUUMQeKww
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) November 18, 2020
Graham, however, did not stay silent, tweeting in response to Tlaib and Omar, “I must be doing something right when the most radical liberal politicians and media pundits in America are calling for my resignation!”
He added in another tweet, “I will continue to try to find common ground where possible, but will not hesitate to vigorously oppose the radical domestic and foreign policy agenda of The Squad and other liberal critics.”
“To those who are trying to silence me – you will fail miserably!”
I will continue to try to find common ground where possible, but will not hesitate to vigorously oppose the radical domestic and foreign policy agenda of The Squad and other liberal critics.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) November 18, 2020
To those who are trying to silence me – you will fail miserably!
Graham denied Raffensperger’s accusation on Monday evening, calling it “ridiculous.” He said he did seek clarity on Georgia’s signature-matching requirements when speaking to Raffensperger.
“The main issue for me is: How do you protect the integrity of mail-in voting, and how does signature verification work?” Graham said.
The South Carolina lawmaker continued, “If he feels threatened by that conversation, he’s got a problem. I actually thought it was a good conversation.”
A top staffer for Raffensperger told MSNBC that he could see how Graham’s remarks could be taken two different ways, “What I heard was a discussion about absentee ballots and…if there was a percentage of signatures that weren’t really, truly matching is there some point you get to, if someone went to a courtroom could say, ‘Let’s throw out all these ballots.'”
He added, “I could see how Sen. Graham viewed it one way and Secretary Raffensperger viewed it one way, but our job in this state is to follow the law and follow the process.”