Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Salon
Salon
Politics
Brad Reed

Graham wanted to shoot Jan. 6 rioters

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), listens during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee reviewing coronavirus response efforts on September 16, 2020 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images)

The Washington Post's lengthy report about the January 6th Capitol riot has a number of explosive new details, including one about Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) reaction to Trump supporters storming the Senate chamber.

According to the Post's sources, Graham was so angry at being forced to flee the Senate while confirming the results of the 2020 election, he told Capitol police to start shooting MAGA rioters.

"What are you doing?" he yelled at the Senate sergeant-at-arms, according to the Post. "Take back the Senate! You've got guns. Use them!"

This message apparently didn't sink in, so Graham reportedly repeated it: "We give you guns for a reason -- use them."


Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.


Additionally, the Post reports that Graham begged first daughter Ivanka Trump to get her father to tell the rioters to leave the building.

"You need to get these people out of here," he told Ivanka. "This thing is going south. This is not good. You're going to have to tell these people to stand down. Stand down

Graham, who has morphed over the years from a major Trump critic into one of the former president's most devoted followers, eventually voted to certify the results of the 2020 election after the Capitol had been retaken from the rioters.

RELATED STORIES:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.