Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that he didn't intend to be “the Republican Christopher Steele” when it came to former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenCast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response Biden tells CNN town hall that he has benefited from white privilege MORE’s son Hunter Biden, referencing the British former intelligence officer who compiled a dossier of unsubstantiated opposition research against then-candidate Donald Trump.

The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, one of President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE's most vocal allies in the Senate, made the comment on CBS’ “Face the Nation” after host Margaret Brennan asked him about a cryptic tweet from Trump reading “DeFace the Nation will tell @LindseyGrahamSC that he must start up Judiciary and not stop until the job is done. Clean up D.C. now, last chance!”

DeFace the Nation will tell @LindseyGrahamSC that he must start up Judiciary and not stop until the job is done. Clean up D.C. now, last chance! https://t.co/lKy9u6t7eN — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020

Graham said that he believed the tweet was in reference to reforming the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant process after Justice Department Inspector General Anthony Horowitz’s report on the origins of the FBI probe into Trump’s campaign.

“Here’s what I want to tell the president: I’m not going to be the Republican Christopher Steele,” Graham said. “Rudy Giuliani Rudy GiulianiGrand jury adds additional counts against Giuliani associates Lev Parnas and and Igor Fruman Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates Giuliani criticizes NYC leadership: 'They're killing this city' MORE last night said he’s got the goods on Hunter Biden … I called the attorney general this morning and [Sen.] Richard Burr Richard Mauze BurrRep. Mark Walker says he's been contacted about Liberty University vacancy Overnight Defense: Trump rejects major cut to military health care | Senate report says Trump campaign's Russia contacts posed 'grave' threat Senate report describes closer ties between 2016 Trump campaign, Russia MORE [R-N.C.], the chairman of the Intel Committee, and they told me ‘take very cautiously anything coming out of the Ukraine against anybody.’”

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Graham said that he continued to think “questions about the conflict of interest regarding Hunter Biden in the Ukraine need to be asked” but that “if Rudy Giuliani has any information coming out of the Ukraine, he needs to turn it over to the Department of Justice, because it could be Russian propaganda.”

Any such claims, Graham said, “need to be looked at by the intelligence services who have expertise I don’t.”

Graham suggested Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrBiden rips Barr's comments on coronavirus restrictions as 'sick' OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups | Kudlow: 'No sector worse hurt than energy' during pandemic | Trump pledges 'no politics' in Pebble Mine review Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups MORE had created a process by which Giuliani could take Ukrainian findings directly to the Justice Department, saying Barr had told him that "they had created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it's verified."

Conspiracy theories that Ukraine was involved in large-scale election interference similar to that of Russia’s in the 2016 election were part of the investigations Trump attempted to persuade Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to undertake. At an impeachment hearing, former National Security Council figure Fiona Hill said such claims are in Russian propaganda.