Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C) brazenly and illegally begged for campaign donations inside the Capitol Building after a confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett on Wednesday.

Graham and his Democratic opponent Jaime Harrison are locked in a dead heat in South Carolina. Harrison, however, is beating Graham when it comes to raising money, giving him an edge just weeks before Election Day.

Desperate to close the gap and clearly fearing defeat, Graham used the Barrett hearings to fundraise in the halls of Congress, and on-camera no less.

“I think people in South Carolina are excited about Judge Barrett,” Graham said. “I don’t know how much it affected fundraising today, but if you want to help me close the gap, LindseyGraham.com. A little bit goes a long way. The bottom line is my opponent raised $57 million. Congratulations to him, that’s the most anybody’s ever raised in the history of the Senate. I raised $28 million, the most any Republican has ever raised. I think the contest in South Carolina has taken on sort of a national profile. I think in my case is that I stood up for Kavanaugh, and that made some people pretty upset on the left.”

Here’s the video via Twitter:

The problem with this solicitation for money is that it’s a crime punishable by a $5,000 fine and/or up to 3 years in prison, as pointed out by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and at least two other attorneys.

Indeed, Graham should know better and there should be serious consequences for his actions. At the very least, the Senate Ethics Committee should do something, but since Republicans control it they will likely give him a slap on the wrist if they bring it up at all.

Just another example of how lawlessness has infested the GOP.

Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons