Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday said that President Trump’s response following the death of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was “disturbing.”
He said that Trump’s handling of the death bothered him “greatly” but said the president “finally got it right.”
{mosads}“It bothers me greatly when the president says things about John McCain. It pisses me off to no end and I let the president know it,” Graham said.
“The way he’s handled the passing of John was disturbing. He finally got it right,” Graham said on CBS “This Morning.”
“I am not going to give up on the idea of working with this president,” Graham continued. “The best way I can honor John McCain is help my country.”
The senator said he is on the president’s side but that he will not let criticism go unvoiced.
“I am going to do everything I can to help president Trump and when he’s wrong I’ll say so,” the senator said.
Graham also told CBS that he called people around the president to ask that the White House flag be returned to half-staff in honor of McCain after it was raised to full-staff after being lowered for about a day.
Trump’s initial condolences expressed for McCain did not include any praise for the late senator, who had clashed with the president on a number of occasions. The president later released a statement expressing “respect” for the longtime senator, who died Saturday after being diagnosed with brain cancer last year.
“Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff until the day of his interment,” Trump’s statement read.