Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks out about Trump indictment

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Former President Donald Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.

Tuesday night, Trump pled not guilty to the charges and defended himself in a speech. He also is being defended by politicians in South Carolina who hope to see him re-elected president in 2024.

“The decision by the Manhattan DA to prosecute President Trump in a very legally unsound and politically motivated way will create a backlash in South Carolina,” said South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham.

Graham also read a statement Wednesday from another politician who supports Donald Trump, Governor Henry McMaster. 

“All this does is shake the public’s confidence in our justice system. It makes it as important as ever that we stand behind President Trump against this outrageous political prosecution,” Graham read from the governor’s statement. “I couldn’t say it better.”

Both Graham and McMaster have backed Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, even with southern candidates in the race such as Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. 

“I’ve chosen to support President Trump not because of the flaws of others. I think he’s the most capable of turning the country and the world around,” the senator said. “He has a proven record on the things that matter to me. He stood up to the people. He secured a broken border. We became energy independent.”

Graham says that he will support whoever wins the Republican nomination but believes that the former president is the man for the job. 

“People in the Republican party are frustrated with President Trump. Include me in that group at times,” Graham said. “You want Trump policies but somebody else. Nobody could have done what he did. I was there.”

He also believes February 24th of next year will be a good day for Trump, the day of the South Carolina primary. 

“The road through the White House runs through South Carolina,” the senator concluded. “The actions of the Manhattan DA made the road a lot wider for President Trump.”