On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) criticized her colleague Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for defending President Donald Trump for referring to the impeachment inquiry as a “lynching.”

So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019

Hirono said, “When I heard the president use the word ‘lynching’ with regard to what he’s going through, to liken a constitutional inquiry process to mass murder of blacks by — murder of blacks by mass mobs in our country is just — I was so appalled that I hardly had any words to say. For those who are coming forward to defend the president’s use of that word, I just want to say to them, do you not know anything about the history of our country and the racism in our country and the racism in our country? These are — I’m just appalled.”

Host Jake Tapper said, “The only person I’ve heard defending the president’s use of the term is your colleague Senator Lindsey Graham. So what would you say to him?”

Hirono said, “Well, maybe everybody else will just not go there. That would be good.”

Tapper said, “But what would you say to him if he were in front of you right now because he has used —he said it is a lynching and —he said, quote, it is a lynching in every sense of the word, unquote.”

Hirono said, “Would hardly have the words to say to Lindsey now because he has turned 360 on first criticizing the president when he was running for president himself and then turning around and being one of the prime defenders of the president. So Lindsey is—he’s going to say what he’s going to say. I totally disagree with him. And I am just so saddened and appalled by Lindsey’s continuing defense of the president.”

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