Lindsey Graham falsely claims 'everyone' at FBI 'hated Donald Trump'

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has been focused this administration on defending Donald Trump, is misrepresenting the findings of a Justice Department inspector general report on the origins of the FBI’s probe into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.

In a Wednesday interview, Graham, the Senate Judiciary Committee chair, incorrectly claimed that “everyone involved” at the FBI “hated Trump.”

After months of investigation, Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz’s report was released this week, finding no systematic bias against Trump and contradicting Trump’s repeated claims that the Russia probe had improper origins.

Graham told CBS News that he believes Horowitz is a “patriot” but questioned his findings. “When he says there’s not evidence of political bias or political motive. Everyone involved in this investigation hated Donald Trump. They wanted to bring down this president. I really believe that.”

But the Horowitz report specifically notes that multiple FBI officials expressed support for Trump and bias against his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton. “We reviewed the text and instant messages sent and received by the Handling Agent, the co-cast Handling Agent, and the SSA [supervisory special agent] for this CHS [confidential human source], which reflect their support for Trump in the 2016 elections,” it noted, while noting that the SSA said he was “elated with the election” of Trump because he “didn’t want a criminal to be the White House.”

The report also noted that Christopher Steele, the author of the dossier that documented many of the allegations the FBI probed, said he was “favorably disposed” toward the Trump family before he began his research and was “friendly” with a member of the family (reportedly Ivanka Trump).

During the 2016 campaign, Graham himself demonstrated significant bias against Trump. In addition to saying he would not vote for him, Graham said the GOP should have been “kicked him out of the party.” Graham termed him “crazy,” a “kook,” and “unfit for office,” and lambasted him as a “race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.