In Jan. 6 Audio, Sen. Lindsey Graham Says Biden Will Be 'The Best Person To Have' In Charge

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is the latest Republican lawmaker to fall victim to his own past comments. 

In audio obtained by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns that aired on CNN Tuesday night , Graham can be heard offering his perspective on the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021:

Graham: “We will actually come out of this thing stronger. Moments like this reset. It’ll take a while. People will calm down. People will [say]: ‘Don’t want to be associated with that.’ This is a group within a group. What this does, it’ll be a rallying effect for a while, where the country says, ‘We’re better than this.’”

Martin: “And Biden will be better, right?”

Graham: “Yeah, totally, he’ll be maybe the best person to have, right? I mean, how mad can you get at Joe Biden ?”

After the attack, Graham publicly condemned Trump for inciting the violence, telling fellow lawmakers from the Senate floor: “All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.”

That sentiment apparently didn’t last long; he quickly flip-flopped and resorted to groveling  to the former president. By the one-year anniversary of the siege , Graham was accusing Biden of “brazen politicization” of the attack.

Burns and Martin released the audio to promote their new book, This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future.

Last month, the authors released tapes  of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) privately telling Republican leadership that he would call Trump and urge him to step down after Jan. 6. 

“I’ve had it with this guy,” McCarthy said of Trump.

Weeks later, he visited Trump at his Florida resort and posed for a photo.

Despite the evidence, McCarthy has since denied ever saying it .