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Lindsey Graham warns Trump impeachment trial will ‘destroy the presidency’, internet calls him a 'hypocrite'

Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, the South Carolina Republican said the trial will 'make history for the rest of the time America exists'

Sen. Lindsey Graham believes former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial will "destroy the presidency" and put future leaders at risk. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, the South Carolina Republican said the trial will "make history for the rest of the time America exists." "What Democrats have done is basically declare war on the presidency itself," he told Hannity. "The impeachment in the House took place without a hearing, without one witness being called, and without a lawyer for the president of the United States. You can't get a traffic ticket based on the procedures they used to impeach President Trump."

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According to Graham, attempts at convicting Trump after he has left office would "destroy the presidency itself." "I know you hate Trump but please pullback before we set in motion the destruction of the presidency by never-ending impeachments based on lack of due process and political retribution as the motive," he continued. "You're about to set in motion a historical precedent that will put at risk every future president. We're doing a lot of damage to the country because people hate Trump. Knock it off."

The unprecedented impeachment trial against Trump, a former president, is slated to commence in the Senate at 1 pm today. Lawmakers will debate for nearly four hours over whether the impeachment trial is constitutional, considering Trump is now a private citizen. Several senators have suggested it is highly unlikely that Trump will be convicted as it requires a 67-vote majority, according to The Sun.

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said the impeachment proceedings were a "partisan farce" and that it was impossible for Trump to be convicted. "Forty-five Republicans have said it's not even a legitimate proceeding so it's really over before it starts," Paul stated. "As far as witnesses, I think unlikely to be witnesses; if they do want witnesses, there's going to be so much evidence that the president had nothing to do with this."

Sen. Paul branded the trial as "unconstitutional" - as did several other Republicans in the Senate. Only five party members have voted in line with Democrats regarding the constitutional basis of the trial, The Sun reported.

Meanwhile, even some Democrats have raised questions about the constitutionality of the proceedings. "This is, of course, a matter of first impression and so I don't think the case that Senator Paul is making is a ridiculous one," Sen. Chris Murphy admitted. Sen. Pat Toomey noted that 45 Republican Senators believed the trial is unconstitutional, and so "you can infer how likely it is that those folks will vote to convict."

Nonetheless, anti-Trump Twitterati lashed out at Sen. Graham for his comments against impeachment proceedings. "Yes… damage to the future of the presidency for presidents who incite insurrections and abuse power. Seems legit to me," one wrote. "Lindsey Graham wants to pull back on Impeachment to prevent the destruction of the Presidency. What a hypocrite. Lindsey Graham is one big enabler of Donald Trump who nearly destroyed the presidency and overthrown our democracy or destroyed it. Investigate Graham," another tweeted.

"Guess What?! Nobody cares what @LindseyGrahamSC thinks. Trump is already impeached TWICE. Now he needs to finally pay for his crimes. Or at the very least, let the world be the judge, with the evidence presented before them," a third added.