Chris Cuomo on Lindsey Graham: ‘You don’t mean save the country. You mean save your ass’

CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Tuesday condemned Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), a top ally of President Trump, for calling challenges to President-elect Joe Biden’s win in Georgia an opportunity to “save the country,” with the CNN host telling Graham, “You mean save your ass.” 

“I will keep arguing that the danger we face does not exit with Trump,” Cuomo began during a segment on his evening show.

“The ReTrumplicans who fear his return and covet his base are all in,” he added before cutting to a Fox News interview Monday night with Graham. 

During an appearance on Fox News’s “Hannity,” Graham called on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) to take steps to end what he called a Republican “civil war” in the state. 

“There’s a civil war brewing in Georgia for no good reason,” Graham said in the interview, a portion of which Cuomo included in his segment on Tuesday. 

“It’s not unreasonable to ask the legislature to come back in and order an audit of the signatures in the presidential race to see if the system worked,” the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman continued, referring to Trump’s repeated calls for an audit of ballot signatures. 

“What is unreasonable is to sit on your ass and do nothing when you’ve got a chance to save the country,” Graham added. 

CNN on Tuesday then cut back to Cuomo, who responded, “No, you don’t mean save the country. You mean save your ass.”

“Georgia certified that vote three times over,” the CNN host continued. “Civil war? Seriously, senator? Do your words still come from your brain or just some reservoir of bile?” 

In his #OpeningStatement, @ChrisCuomo channels his inner Inigo Montoya and wonders what it might take for “ReTrumplicans” to accept Joe Biden as President.

“Will the SCOTUS nine nuthin’ negation of the nugatory nonsense from Trump about the election be enough?” pic.twitter.com/TNYg9T67RD

— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) December 9, 2020

“And by the way, Graham’s got plenty of company among the ReTrumplicans,” Cuomo added, again using his term for Republican supporters of Trump, before referencing tweets from the Arizona Republican Party that urge supporters to push for the halting of election certification. 

In one tweet, the state party shared a post from a “Stop the Steal” national organizer, who wrote, “I am willing to give my life for this fight.” 

“He is. Are you?” the Arizona Republican Party wrote in its retweet. 

He is. Are you? https://t.co/OY8qxNMPxm

— Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) December 8, 2020

Cuomo’s comments came after Kemp recertified election results late Monday upholding Biden’s victory in the state following a recount, dealing a final blow to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia. 

Tuesday marked the federal safe harbor date by which all states were required to have resolved any election-related disputes.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Kemp and other top Republican officials in Georgia in recent weeks, accusing them without evidence of mismanaging the election and failing to clamp down on voter fraud.

Despite the recertification, Sidney Powell, an attorney not affiliate with but working in favor of Trump’s campaign, filed an appeal Tuesday after a federal court dismissed her lawsuit to overturn the Georgia election results. 

The move follows the dismissal of two similar lawsuits seeking to change election results that showed Biden defeating Trump in Georgia.