Several Republican senators have avoided commenting on President Donald Trump’s impending impeachment trial by protesting that they intend to serve as impartial jurors.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced Saturday that he isn’t one of them.
“This thing will come to the Senate, and it will die quickly, and I will do everything I can to make it die quickly,” Graham told CNN International’s Becky Anderson, in an interview at the Doha Forum in Qatar.
“I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind,” he added later. “I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.”
Graham said he didn’t want to hear from any new witnesses; several administration officials followed White House orders and defied subpoenas to appear before House investigators.
“I want this to end as quick as possible for the good of the Senate, for the good of the country,” Graham said. “And I think the best thing for America to do is get this behind us. We know how it’s going to end.”
Was it appropriate for the senator to air his views even before the trial began? Anderson asked.
“Well, I must think so because I’m doing it,” Graham responded.
