Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Lausanne, on Sunday sidestepped a question about whether former President Trump should attend next month’s Jan. 6 awards ceremony at his golf club in New Jersey.
The Stand in the Gap Foundation will host an event dubbed the J6 Awards Gala on September 5 at Trump’s Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. announcement Posted online, Trump is listed as an “invited speaker,” but Graham did not say whether Trump should attend the event.
“Do you think it’s a mistake for him to go? And is it a mistake that this event is even being held in Bedminster?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Graham on “State of the Union.”
“Well, my view on January 6th — I was there — is that the people who entered the Capitol and assaulted the police officers should go to prison. They committed a crime. There are people who are very upset about the results of the 2020 election. I understand that,” he said.
“But Vice President Harris tried to raise bail for the people who burned down Minneapolis. I didn’t like that either. So, in terms of the party condoning violence, I would say we need to stop that in that regard,” he said.
Tapper reported that the Trump campaign said the former president would not attend the event. The New York TimesThe report, citing a person familiar with Trump’s plans, also reported that Trump will not attend.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign about the incident.
“I have no sympathy for the people who broke into the Capitol, who damaged this building, who harmed police officers,” Graham said. When Tapper pressed him again whether he thought Trump should attend the event, Graham again dodged the question.
“Well, I’ll let him. I think some of the people who are being detained have had their due process rights violated. They haven’t been brought to justice yet, frankly. I don’t really like that,” he said.
“But I’ll leave it to him to decide what causes he supports. I support him because my country, your country, our country is suffering, and he’s proposing policy changes that we desperately need,” he added.
An announcement for the event stated that the funds raised will “provide much-needed support to the January 6th defendants, who continue to face significant hardship.” Tickets for the event range from $1,500 for general admission to $50,000 for a table of 12.
