Franklin Graham compares Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment to Judas
The Rev. Franklin Graham took to social media to slam the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump, comparing them to the infamous Judas Iscariot.
“Shame, shame on the ten Republicans who joined with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in impeaching President Trump yesterday,” Graham wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. “The House Democrats impeached him because they hate him and want to do as much damage as they can. And these ten, from his own party, joined in the feeding frenzy. It makes you wonder what the thirty pieces of silver were that Speaker Pelosi promised for this betrayal.”
By referencing “thirty pieces of silver,” Graham seemed to be suggesting that the 10 House Republicans who supported Trump’s impeachment were akin to Judas Iscariot, a disciple of Jesus Christ who betrayed him to the Roman authorities in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
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While Graham did not mention them by name, the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump were Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
According to Graham, these Republicans’ votes to impeach the president for “incitement of insurrection” constituted a betrayal because of “all that he has done for this country.”
“We have never had a president like him in my lifetime. He gave us lower taxes, a strong economy, and low unemployment. He made NATO take notice and pay their own way. He had the guts to take on North Korea and meet with their leader personally. He didn’t let China walk all over us. Just his Mideast peace initiatives in the last couple of months deserve a Nobel Peace Prize,” he said.
“He has defended religious liberty like no president before him, and that matters to all people of faith. He has worked to bring prison reform and secured our southern border. He defeated the ISIS caliphate in Syria, and he strengthened our military. He was also the most pro-life president we have ever had.”
“The Democrats have been trying to get rid of the president since the day he took office. What they did yesterday only further divides our nation. I hope President-elect Biden will keep his word and work for unity as he has said,” he concluded. Graham has called for Trump, whose term expires Jan. 20, to meet with President-elect Joe Biden, contending that such a meeting would “begin the healing and preparation for a smooth transition.”
He also requested that Vice President-elect Harris as well as Biden's and Harris’ respective spouses be invited to the meeting.
In addition to praising the president’s record, Graham announced that he took issue with “some of the things the president said and did the last couple of weeks,” referring to Jan. 6 as “a low point in his presidency.”
On Jan. 6, hundreds of fringe Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying the electoral college votes of the 2020 presidential election, unleashing violence and vandalism that left five people dead.
The events of Jan. 6 ultimately led to the president’s impeachment, as House Democrats argued that a speech he gave to his supporters urging them to continue protesting the election results incited them to resort to violence.
Violence at the Capitol erupted while Trump was still speaking to hundreds of thousands of his supporters at the Ellipse near the White House before they were to walk to the Capitol for a separate rally where other speakers were scheduled to speak. That event, however, never took place because the riot had already ensued.
Graham condemned the violence, remarking that he was “deeply saddened by what took place in our nation’s capital.”
“Our country is in trouble. We need God’s healing and we need God’s help. Pray for peace and the protection of our nation. Let’s come together — on our knees,” he added.
