Though a staunch critic of then-candidate Donald Trump throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) became one of outgoing President Donald Trump's most unwavering defenders in Congress over the course of Trump's four years in the White House.
The President spent the last two months propping up lies that widespread election fraud orchestrated by Democrats delivered a false victory to Biden, and Graham has stuck by him all the way. The South Carolina Senator even called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger late last year, pressuring him to disqualify thousands of votes to deliver the state to Trump.
On Wednesday, the House and Senate convened in a joint congressional session overseen by Vice President Mike Pence to nationally certify Biden's victory.
The proceedings were upended when pro-Trump extremists, fueled by the President's election fraud lies, infiltrated the Capitol, forcing the Vice President to evacuate and lawmakers to hide.
The rioters ransacked offices, smeared excrement across the walls, and shattered windows. Their attempted coup resulted in the deaths of at least five people.
It wasn't for another seven hours that the Capitol was secured and legislators could resume the business of congressionally certifying Biden's victory, but Republicans were singing quite a different tune after experiencing firsthand the violence emerging from the President's lies.
Multiple Republican Senators withdrew their support for GOP House members objecting to electoral results in swing states Trump lost.
In a speech on the Senate floor following the violence, Graham condemned Trump's efforts to secure another term in spite of the American people's votes.
Watch below.
Lindsey Graham: "Trump and I... we've had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh my god, I hate it... but today, all I can say is 'Count me out. Enough is enough. I've tried to be helpful.'" https://t.co/hxrZh9PRvt pic.twitter.com/rD4hqbeGjO
— Bloomberg (@business) January 7, 2021
Graham said:
"Trump and I, we've had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view he's been been a consequential president. But today, first thing you'll see. All I can say, is count me out, enough is enough."
For his years of fealty to the President before his words led to an attempted coup, Graham was not met with mercy from critics of Trump.
And if a new set of videos featuring Graham are any indication, the ire of Trump's critics will be just as strong.
As Graham waited in Arlington, Virginia's Reagan Airport, Trump supporters accosted him at the terminal where they proceeded to berate him as a "traitor" to the President.
Watch below.
Here's the video of how it startedpic.twitter.com/Im7nI2BcBm
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) January 8, 2021
A source sends this video of a group of Trump supporters today harassing Sen. Lindsey Graham at Reagan airport and loudly calling him a “traitor" after he publicly broke with Trump earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/XBF8K6DIUD
— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) January 8, 2021
Some more video of Lindsey Graham being called a “traitor" by Trump supporters at the Reagan airport while surrounded by security.
pic.twitter.com/2vZjYSWyk5
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) January 8, 2021
The Trump supporters and QAnon fanatics followed Graham through the airport, accusing him of treason, calling him a "pedophile," and warning him that he would face derision like that everywhere he goes for the rest of his life.
People weren't that sad to see Graham accosted by the very people whose support he spent four years courting.
Someone's chickens have come home to roost!
Now they will have to live in the HELL they have helped to create. https://t.co/lWz4sTp5Zu
— California for Biden 2020 (@CaliforniaBeto) January 8, 2021
When the monster that you've fed for four years finally turns it's angry eyes on you. #SucksToBeYou #ItsDeserved https://t.co/GMxmwTXBLR
— RR_Lloyd (@RRLloyd2) January 8, 2021
This is horrible.
And it's the ultimate example of someone reaping what they sowed. https://t.co/EGMNw9Y5DW
— Zach Braff (@zachbraff) January 8, 2021
Walk of Shame. https://t.co/XExEFafXi6
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) January 8, 2021
It must be terrible when the monster you created turns on you. https://t.co/bv2Fp97UxN
— kristen johnston (@thekjohnston) January 8, 2021
I'll keep saying it. Shame shame shame on all of these people who believed they could make a deal with the devil and were so arrogant and foolish as to believe they could avoid how that story always always ends. https://t.co/4WuotUKDAT
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) January 8, 2021