Trump’s on-and-off relationship with Graham hits the skids
Until their recent cooling off, Graham was perhaps the only Republican who had Trump’s trust and enough juice with Democrats to cut a deal on immigration.
By SEUNG MIN KIM and BURGESS EVERETT
01/17/2018 07:30 PM EST
Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump were daily phone partners in the throes of the Obamacare repeal debate. But now — in a similarly heated legislative battle, this time on immigration — Graham’s direct line to the president has gone quiet, with the two men last speaking on Saturday.
Instead, the South Carolina Republican is appealing to Trump publicly through televised hearings and blaming White House aides as he tries to keep the president’s ear. It’s a critical relationship in the long-running immigration saga: Graham is perhaps the only Republican who had the combination of Trump’s trust, enough juice with Democrats to cut a deal and a line of communication with hard-charging Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
After cozying up to Trump for months, Graham now finds himself again in a confrontational role with the president after the now-infamous White House session in which Trump used strong and, according to some participants, profane language to describe immigrants from African nations, El Salvador and Haiti. Graham objected to remarks he said were made during the meeting.
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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/17/lindsey-graham-trump-republicans-345081?lo=ap_f1
