Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., might be determined to rid the Republican Party of President Donald Trump, but Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said dividing amid the Democrats' congressional takeover would be a death warrant.
"If you're wanting to erase Donald Trump from the party, you're going to get erased," Graham told Fox News' "The Story." "Most Republicans like his policies. A lot of Republicans like his style. A lot of people are disappointed with him personally at times, but appreciate the outcomes he's achieved for our country.
"So this idea of moving forward without Donald Trump in the Republican Party is a disaster for the Republican Party. The one way Democrats can survive is for the Republican party to crack up. The best way for the Republican Party to crack up is try to move forward without Donald Trump."
Amid the House Democrats' latest impeachment of Trump, including some Republican support, there has been talk of Trump fleeing for his own "Patriot Party."
"I hope he doesn't," Graham told co-hosts Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier. "I hope he'll stay the leader of the Republican party. If you're a conservative, this has been a good four years for judges, for rebuilding the military, for bringing order to the border, for historic peace agreements in the Mideast. This has been a consequential presidency. Three Supreme Court justices.
"I hope President Trump understands that his legacy and his best future lies with the Republican party. I hope people in our party understand the party itself."
McConnell must be careful what he wishes for in moving forward with an impeachment trial, Graham added.
"Impeachment is a political exercise that will further divide the country and I think eventually destroy the presidency," Graham said. "Sen. McConnell has been a good leader, a great street fighter. He will be a challenge for [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer, but he is, in my view, giving some legitimacy to this impeachment process that I think is wrong.
"They impeached the president in the house in 24 hours without a lawyer, and without one witness. Is that what we're going to become as a country? I hope not."
Convicting a past president out of office is not just politically flawed, but it is unconstitutional.
"We're about to impeach a man out of office for the expressed purpose so he cannot run again – it's unconstitutional, continues to divide the country, puts a cloud over the presidency, will open up Pandora's box regarding the presidency itself," Graham said. "So I would like the Republican leadership to be more firm.
Impeachment under these circumstances is unwise in our Constitution," he continued. "If this party will survive, we have to realize that Donald Trump had a consequential presidency for conservatives. He will be the strongest voice in the party. I realize that. I appreciate that. The test for President Trump is — will he help us in 2022 take back the House and the Senate — because without his help, we cannot take back the House and the Senate. With his help, I think we can."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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