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The South Carolina senator ignored the term's connotation of racist brutality in defending the president's characterization of the impeachment inquiry.
Many Democrats and several Republicans have condemned Donald Trump's comment that the investigation he's undergoing is a lynching, but U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina thinks the description is spot-on.
The president, currently the subject of an inquiry in the House of Representatives that could lead to his impeachment, involving among other things his pressure on the government of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden's son, made the "lynching" comment in a tweet early Tuesday:
\u201cSo some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here - a lynching. But we will WIN!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1571745148
Lynching, frequently used by white mobs toward African-Americans from the end of the Civil War through the middle of the 20th century, involved torture and murder without any due process of law (which the impeachment procedure does provide for). While condemnation of Trump's tweet came swiftly from many corners, it didn't come from Graham, who used to be one of the few Republicans willing to criticize Trump.
"This is a lynching in every sense. This is un-American," Graham told reporters at the Capitol. Graham also called the impeachment process "a sham" and a "joke."
\u201cShame on you, Lindsey Graham! Absolutely appalling. \n\u201d— Karine Jean-Pierre (@Karine Jean-Pierre) 1571763515
The deputy White House press secretary, Hogan Gidley, attempted to defend Trump's words when confronted by reporters, saying, "The president is not comparing what's happened to him with one of the darkest moments in American history." But when repeatedly asked if he'd admit that lynching was not the proper word to use, Gidley kept saying Trump had been treated unfairly by the media and "had used many words" to describe that.
\u201cHogan Trying to defend the use of the word \u201clynching\u201d\u201d— Brian J. Karem (@Brian J. Karem) 1571757675
There have been many attempts in Congress to pass a bill making lynching a federal crime, but legislation that would do so has never made it through both chambers. This year the Senate passed such a bill, and it remains pending in the House; if it becomes law, lynching could be prosecuted under the federal hate-crimes statute. Some far-right activists have objected to the bill's listing of characteristics that could motivate lynching, as it includes the sexual orientation and gender identity of victims.
Another time in modern U.S. politics that the term came up was during the 1991 Senate hearings on whether to confirm Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court justice. The hearings included law professor Anita Hill's allegations that Thomas had sexually harassed her when they worked together. Thomas, a conservative African-American, called the process a "high-tech lynching for uppity Blacks." But he was confirmed to the court.
A sample of comments denouncing Trump's use of the term:
None— Adam Parkhomenko (@Adam Parkhomenko) 1571757687
\u201cYou are comparing a constitutional process to the PREVALENT and SYSTEMATIC brutal torture of people in THIS COUNTRY that looked like me?\u201d— Congressmember Bass (@Congressmember Bass) 1571751406
\u201cLynching is trending so here are some facts: From 1882-1968, 4,743 lynchings occurred in the U.S., according to the NAACP. Of these people that were lynched 3,446 were black. \n\nAlso facts: President Trump deeply wants to change the subject away from the G7, Ukraine and Syria.\u201d— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche Alcindor) 1571752966
\u201c@realDonaldTrump and @LindseyGrahamSC this is a lynching. Trump this is not happening to you and it\u2019s pathetic that you act like you\u2019re such a victim; but it did happen to 147 black people in your state Lindsey. \u201cA lynching in every sense\u201d? You should know better.\u201d— Michael Steele (@Michael Steele) 1571759293
\u201cI\u2019ve studied lynching for decades. Read hundreds of lynching accounts.Viewed almost scores of photographs. Wrote a book about lynching. Mr. Trump\u2019s actions & words are consistent w/those who incited lynching, not its victims. And that fact makes this tweet particularly grotesque.\u201d— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sherrilyn Ifill) 1571754825
