Fresh off of seemingly blaming Jacob Blake for being shot seven times in the back by a white police officer in Wisconsin, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) accepted an endorsement by the Fraternal Order of Police without a single black or brown officer in sight.
It was just last week when Graham wondered if Blake obeyed supposed orders given by officers before he was ruthlessly shot in the back as his children watched in horror from inside their dad’s car.
Fast-forward a week and Graham is flanked by white police officers in Greenville, South Carolina as he accepts the organization’s endorsement. That’s when a reporter pointed out the lack of diversity in the room.
“You mentioned that we should see more minority police,” the reporter noted. “When was the last time you visited one of those [minority] neighborhoods in this area? And also, just looking at the landscape behind you, there’s not minority sheriff’s officers or people standing behind you. What does that say?”
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Indeed, even Donald Trump usually has a token black supporter standing by to make it at least look like he gives a sh*t about people of color. The fact that not one officer of color was there for Graham is revealing.
But Graham seemed to suggest that black cops are not there because their jobs are too tough.
“I would say that African-American cops are with me,” he said. “I think the hardest job in America right now is being an African-American cop. I go to communities all over. I was in downtown Spartanburg looking at housing developments. I go all over the state, wherever we have a crisis, I am there. It was the white National Guard members that said to me, ‘You have no idea what crap these people — Black brothers and sisters in uniform take a lot a grief, they’re called traitors.’”
Graham then insisted that he respects black people who choose to work in law enforcement.
“If you’re a young African-American thinking about a career in law enforcement, all of us respect you,” he said.
Well, Graham’s Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison is a black man seeking political office to effect change. He wants to challange systemic racism and bring about police reform and social justice. Does Graham respect him?
Probably not considering that Graham went on to laughably claim that he has better ideas than his increasingly popular opponent.
“In South Carolina, it is not about the color of your skin or your family’s origin. It is about you and your ideas,” he said. “And the reason I’m going to win is because my ideas and my record are a much better fit for South Carolina.”
Here’s the video:
Graham has been Trump’s top toady for years now and he refuses to stand up to him and call out his racism and hate. That’s a big reason why Harrison has managed to make this Senate race a statistical tie. Graham doesn’t have the balls to go against Trump, and he made that very clear by helping Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rig the impeachment trial in Trump’s favor by refusing to consider the damning evidence and witness testimony even though he voted to impeach Bill Clinton for lesser offenses.
Graham’s political career should be ended in November. He only serves Trump and himself now and the people of South Carolina deserve better.
Featured image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore, under Creative Commons license 2.0
