Graham: Trump’s attacks on McCain ‘hurt him more’ than senator’s legacy

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that President Trump’s attacks against the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) “hurt [Trump] more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain.”

“I think the president’s comments about Sen. McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain. I’m going to try to continue to help the president,” he told reporters in South Carolina.

{mosads}Graham is an ally of Trump who also was close friends with McCain. He said Wednesday that he likes the president but doesn’t like “when he says things” about his former GOP Senate colleague, who died last year after a battle with brain cancer.

“My job is to represent the people of South Carolina. They want me to work with the president where I can. I’ve gotten to know the president. We have a good working relationship. I like him,” Graham said.

“I don’t like when he says things about my friend John McCain. The best thing that can happen, I think, for all of us is to move forward,” he added. 

Sen. Graham: “I think the president’s comments about Sen. McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain … I don’t like it when he says things about my friend John McCain.” pic.twitter.com/GD9lppUIWt

— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 20, 2019

Graham’s comments came shortly before Trump unleashed fresh criticism of McCain during a speech in Ohio on Wednesday afternoon. Trump, who long feuded with McCain, has renewed his criticism of the former GOP senator in recent days.

“Not my kind of guy,” Trump told the crowd in Ohio. “But some people like him, and I think that’s great.”

Trump spent several minutes attacking McCain during his speech, criticizing him for sharing with authorities a dossier that detailed alleged links between Trump and Russia, voting against a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and supporting the Iraq War.

“I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve. I don’t care about this. I didn’t get ‘thank you.’ That’s OK,” Trump said. 

“We sent him on the way, but I wasn’t a fan of John McCain.”

The remarks came after Trump went after McCain on Twitter over the weekend and said Tuesday that he “was never a fan of John McCain” and “never will be.”