Lindsey Graham’s argument for VP Harris’s impeachment crumbles

Senator Lindsey Graham fails at his feeble attempt to draw comparison between BLM and the Capitol riots

Baylynne Brunetti / Asst. Opinion Editor

At this point, it is no surprise that the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection. What did come as a slight surprise was Senator Lindsey Graham claiming that the Republicans’ first order of business if taking control of the House in 2023 would be to impeach Vice President Kamala Harris. The reasoning behind this theoretical impeachment is a far cry from what Trump did to incite an insurrection; however, Graham attempts to make an argument that Kamala Harris should be held to the same standard. Ultimately, Graham fails to do so and further stirs up divisiveness in the Senate. 

Senator Graham’s reasoning stems from the fact that Vice President Harris tweeted out a bail fund link for BLM protestors this past summer. This caused an uproar amongst Republicans, because those who were protesting for their rights were labeled “rioters” by Republicans. This country’s racism is not easily hid and the BLM protests really brought out our true and ugly colors. 

When some conservatives threw fits across the country and raided Capitols with assault rifles and attempted to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Governor Whitmer, this was viewed as patriotic by Trump supporters. The group of insurrectionists during the Capitol riots killed police; however, it seems blue lives only matter when BLM is involved.  When people protest in the streets to stop the unjust killing of multiple Black men and women, it is viewed as rioting — especially in the eyes of Senator Lindsey Graham and other Republicans. 

Now, with that laid out, let’s take a deeper look into Graham’s comparison between Trump’s insurrection and Harris simply tweeting out a bail fund for those wrongly arrested. Graham stated that if Trump incited violence with his tweets, then Harris incited violence as well by allowing bail funds for protestors. Graham should look to the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution which outlines bail and excessive finds. The Eighth Amendment states that, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” 

For those who are practicing their First Amendment right to protest, being arrested and forced to pay bail is a violation of both the First and the Eighth. Harris’s tweet stated support for the nonprofit Minnesota Freedom Fund. This fund pays the bail amount, which is set by a judge, for individuals who would otherwise be unable to afford to secure their release from jail while they await their day in court. Essentially, Graham believes that protestors being bailed out is equatable to Trump’s tweets that left out democracy in shambles. It seems the Constitution is only used in conservative dialogue when it works to their advantage but that is not how the Constitution works. 

Additionally, Graham cannot compare Trump’s calculated attempt at a coup d’etat to Vice President Harris tweeting out a bail fund. Harris was not even Vice President at the time, and certainly was not advocating for overthrowing the United States government. However, as Graham stated, “If you use this model, I don’t know how Kamala Harris doesn’t get impeached if the Republicans take over the House, because she actually bailed out rioters and one of the rioters went back to the streets and broke somebody’s head open.” Keep in mind that there is absolutely zero evidence of this claim, which seems to be a new commonality amongst the Republican party, who continually promote falsehoods. 

What is horrendous is that with this insurrection, most Republicans still cannot just take some accountability and move forward to make the country better. Now, this “impeachment” game is live in the Senate to Republicans. However, this constitutional safeguard should not be used like it is a tag game on the playground, Senator Graham. It is time to grow up and govern or step down from office. Even Mitch McConnell had the moral decency (moreso self preservation) to cut himself off from Trump after the insurrection. Lindsey Graham is a Trump puppet whose strings will hopefully be clipped in the next election. But until then, he is a dangerous character in the Senate who is more of a Trump than Republican loyalist.

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.