During a break in Thursday's Senate Judiciary Hearing for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham spoke to reporters. When asked if he still intended to vote to confirm Kavanaugh, Graham stated he did.
A vocal supporter of Kavanaugh, Graham then added a statement about the confirmation process from his perspective. His comments took an understandably partisan view of the sequence of events.
The South Carolina Republican repeated many of the talking points the President and Fox News use to defend Kavanaugh. He also tried to discredit the need for a full background check—like the one conducted on Justice Clarence Thomas after Dr. Anita Hill came forward—and attacked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's credibility again.
But just before pushing his way past the gathered reporters, the GOP member of the Senate Judiciary Committee called on his fellow Republican members to support Kavanaugh or "God help us as Republicans, because this happens to us, this never happens to them."
He then addressed his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and stated:
"Let me tell you my Democratic friends, if this is the new norm, then you better watch out for your nominees."
Watch the video here.
Graham did not specify if his threat included only future Democratic Presidential appointments to the Supreme Court or if he intended to threaten all future appointments made by a Democrat in retaliation.
As for his claims about only the GOP being targets of accusations of sexual misconduct, people quickly rebutted the Senator.
As part of his indictment against Democrats, Graham also stated the review of sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh amounted to a delay tactic, trying to push the vote until after the November midterm elections. However, Graham failed to acknowledge his own party's use of delay tactics for President Barack Obama's final SCOTUS nominee, Merrick Garland.
But people happily reminded him.
Graham's threat of retaliation did not sit well either.
People online found it hard to believe a sitting member of Congress would make a threat so openly in front of the press.
But one Twitter user thought Graham's threat included a silver lining.
@ZoeyCatBell
@twinkb23/Bluesky