ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Sen. Lindsey Graham, sometimes Republican from South Carolina — but always Republican In Name — seemed to issue a direct, not-so-veiled threat to President Donald Trump during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch.

Oh yes, he did.

Look at this transcript of the confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, beginning with a lead-in aimed at reminding Trump — president and commander-in-chief though he is — must obey the same laws of the country as any other citizen. If only Graham would’ve been so blunt to Barack Obama.

Here we go, kindly transcribed by Breitbart:

Graham, to Gorsuch: “Now, about what’s going on in the country with President Trump, whether you like him or you don’t he is the president, but you have said several times that he is not above the law as president. Is that correct?”

Gorsuch: “Yes, senator.

Graham: “You told Senator Leahy if there is a law passed that a Muslim could not serve in the military, you believe, based on current law, that would be an illegal act.”

Gorsuch: “Yes, senator. I see that [as] having all sorts of constitutional problems under current law.”

Graham: “So if we have laws on the book that prevent waterboarding, do you agree with me that the Detainee Treatment Act prevents waterboarding?”

Gorsuch: “Yes, senator, that’s my recollection of it.”

Graham could’ve stopped there, point made. But he didn’t. Here’s the not-so-thinly-veiled threat.

“In case President Trump is watching, which he may very well be, one — you did a very good job picking Judge Gorsuch. Number two — here is the bad part — if you start waterboarding people, you may get impeached. Is that a fair summary?”

And Gorsuch’s reply?

“Senator, the impeachment power belongs to this body,” he said.

But Graham wasn’t satisfied.

“OK, that’s even better,” he said. “Would it be subject to prosecution?”

Gorsuch: “Senator, I’m not going to speculate.”

Graham: “But no man is above the law.”

Gorsuch: “No man is above the law. No man.”

Holy cow, could we leave the impeachment talk to Democrats, please? Wipe the drool off, Graham. Trump’s still got a few years to go.

Graham’s unnecessary preening and prodding before the television cameras was nothing but a show of force against Trump — an in-your-face warning to watch where his White House walks.

Know what else it was?

A good case for term limits.

But Graham, no campaign season friend of Trump‘s, has barely stood tall in the president’s camp post-election, either.

Just this week, he’s also come out swinging against Trump — publicly, of course — over the president’s wiretap claims, saying “it’s pretty clear to me that the people in charge … have no evidence of it,” the Hill reported.

He also pressed for the president to go easy on the tweeting — a scolding that refers back to Trump’s retweet of communications that furthered the wiretap mantra.

“One of the lessons to be learned here is if you read something that … bothers you,” Graham said, “before you tweet it out or echo it, check it out.”

Words of wisdom — from one of Trump supporters’ most despised politicians. So here’s some in return: Chill, Graham. When it comes to beyond the beltway, Trump scores a heck of a lot higher than the RINOs.

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