
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on Meet the Press, during which he bluntly told Chuck Todd during a segment on Russian interference in the election that members of his party who are "gleeful" about the hacking are not patriots.

I have previously wondered where the Republicans' oft-touted patriotism has gone in the national crisis surrounding Russian interference in our election.

Now, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has raised the same specter of disloyalty, during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. Watch:

Here's what I think we should do as a nation: We should all — Republicans; Democrats — condemn Russia for what they did. To my Republican friends who are gleeful: You're making a huge mistake. When WikiLeaks released information during the Bush years about the Iraq War that was embarrassing to the administration, that put our troops at risk, most Democrats condemned it; some celebrated it. Most Republicans are condemning what Russia did, and to those who are gleeful about it: You're being a political hack. You're not a Republican; you're not a patriot. If this is not about us, then I'll never know what will be about us. Because when one party's compromised, all of us are compromised.

If Graham is right that "most Republicans are condemning what Russia did," their condemnation has not manifested in pursuit of meaningful accountability, as Democrats continue to search for Republican supporters for their Protecting Our Democracy Act.


That said, Graham is completely correct that this issue is bigger than partisan politics. This is indeed about us, all of us, irrespective of party affiliation. And those who would prioritize party above country in this moment are not patriots, but political hacks.

Worst of all, they are political hacks who are actively working against the integrity of our democracy.