New audio tapes of GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham show he was optimistic about having Joe Biden as president after an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns of The New York Times released the tapes on CNN Tuesday night.
“Moments like this reset,” Graham said that day, in a tape played on CNN on Tuesday.
“People will calm down. People will say, ‘I don’t want to be associated with that.’ This is a group within a group. What this does, there will be a rallying effect for a while, [then] the country says ‘We’re better than this.’”
Asked if Biden could help the country come together again, Graham said: “Totally.”
“He’ll maybe be the best person to have. I mean, how mad can you get at Joe Biden?”
But many Republicans, seeing Donald Trump’s continued grip on the GOP, are mad at Biden. Graham has returned to Trump’s side in the months since the insurrection. But it was a different tone after January 6th that was captured by the Times’ reporters. Burns and Martin spoke with Anderson Cooper last night as they continue to promote their book, “This Will Not Pass.” The complete interview is below.
