By Danielle Ong
International Business Times 02/14/21 AT 10:12 PM
KEY POINTS
Graham warned that Harris would be impeached if Republicans take control of the House
The South Carolina senator accused the vice president of inciting future violence
Harris had publicly supported an organization that bails out people arrested during the George Floyd protests
A GOP senator on Sunday suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris could face an impeachment trial if Republicans take control of the House.
During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, slammed former President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial as a “joke” before he pivoted to Harris.
"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," Graham said.
The South Carolina senator referred to Harris’ support of the Minnesota Freedom Fund in June 2020. The organization was responsible for posting bail for low-income individuals arrested during Black Lives Matter demonstrations that occurred after police officers killed George Floyd in Minneapolis in the summer of last year.
“If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota,” Harris had written on Twitter.
The organization raised $35 million weeks after Floyd’s death. However, accounting by the American Bail Coalition found that 92% of people arrested during the protests between May 26 and June 2 were not required to pay bail. Only 10 of those arrested were required to put up a monetary bond between $78 and $100 in order to be released.
The South Carolina senator also said that he believes the impeachment over inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol may be setting a dangerous precedent.
"We've opened Pandora's box to future presidents," he continued. “We've opened Pandora's box here and I'm sad for the country.”
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Graham also had alluded to the possibility of impeaching Harris while being interviewed by Fox News’ Sean Hannity earlier this month. During the interview, the GOP senator tried to discourage Democrats from calling witnesses in Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.
“If you’re going to pursue this, and you want to start calling witnesses, and you want to drag this thing out, it would be fair to have Kamala Harris’ tape play where she bailed people out of jail,” he said. “What more could you do to incite future violence, than to pay the bail of the people who broke up the shops and beat up the cops.”
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