Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., couldn't care less if you think he is a hypocrite for working with the president.
Graham sat down with CNN's Kate Bolduan, who asked the senator when he could trust the words coming out of President Trump's mouth. She also highlighted Graham's past scuffles and his current coziness with the president.
"I'm going to sum it up," Bolduan said. "You went from hating him, making fun of him, finding peace with trying to work with him where you can work with him. Then, he comes out and hits you again on whatever he decided to on a given day. Do you trust him now?"
The senator responded that it's not about trusting the president — it's about working together to get "things that are big and matter" done.
"Here's what I got: I got a relationship with the president at a time when I think he needs allies," Graham said.
Bolduan interrupted, asking, "People say this is two-faced. Where's the Lindsey Graham of standing up to Donald Trump? What do you say?"
Graham responded that he would let the president know when he thinks he's wrong, but that he didn't receive this kind of criticism when working with President Obama.
“When I worked with President Obama — and I did on occasion — I was a hero," Graham said. "Now when I work with President Trump, I’m two-faced. I know how the game’s played and I don’t give a damn. I’m going to do what’s best for the country."
Graham has recently criticized Trump for his approach of handling Russia and the Mueller investigation. Earlier this week, Graham disagreed with Trump's desire to add Russia back into G-7 and called the move "a mistake." He also distanced himself from the president after his #Spygate tweets. Graham had pointed out that “a confidential informant is not a spy" and said he is "not buying" the Rudy Giuliani's claim that Mueller is trying to frame Trump.
While Graham hopes the president is "successful," Trump still says things Graham doesn't agree with. Despite that, the senator still aims to work with him.
"So if you don’t like me working with President Trump to make the world a better place," Graham said, "I don’t give a shit.”
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