Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has been one of Donald Trump’s top sycophants over the last several years, but it appears that a rift is forming between the two, especially since Trump is now calling Graham a “RINO” for recently criticizing him.

During a Texas rally last week, Trump claimed that the insurrectionists who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6th have been treated “unfairly” by the justice system and offered to pardon them if he is elected back to the presidency in 2024.

Most of the sentences the insurrectionists have received thus far have been light, far less than the sentences they really deserve for trying to overthrow democracy. By dangling pardons, Trump is telling his supporters that he’ll bail them out if they try to overthrow democracy again in 2024.

Well, Graham not only opposes pardoning the insurrectionists, but he also criticized Trump for offering to pardon them.

“I think it’s inappropriate. I don’t want to send any signal that it was OK to defile the Capitol,” Graham said over the weekend. “I want to deter people. And those who did it, I hope they go to jail and get the book thrown at them because they deserve it.”

It’s one of the few times Graham has criticized Trump outright. And, of course, Trump responded by attacking him during an appearance on Newsmax.

“Some of these people are not guilty,” Trump falsely claimed. “Many of these people are not guilty. What they’ve done to these — and in many cases, patriots. They’re soldiers, they’re policemen. What they’ve done to them compared to what they’ve done to the other side, you know you have to have equal justice, and this isn’t equal, so I would absolutely be prepared — and Lindsey Graham doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about if he says that. Because you have to have equal justice. Lindsey’s a nice guy, but he’s a RINO.”

Here’s the video via Twitter:

Trump’s assertion that the insurrectionists are “not guilty” and are “patriots” is false. Hours of video evidence as well as physical evidence and witness testimony put these traitors illegally in the Capitol building. Some came armed. Some committed theft. Some committed property damage. Some intended to murder lawmakers. Some violently assaulted police officers. All of them sought to overthrow democracy and install Trump as a dictator. They are traitors and many of them have been caught because they bragged about their crimes on social media.

As for Graham, one wonders if he is going to stand his ground against Trump or if he will do as he always has and get on his knees to beg forgiveness. Because Graham hasn’t had a spine or a conscience since his friend John McCain died. Now would be the perfect time to reclaim both, but that means working to keep Trump out of office.

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