Sen. Lindsey Graham became irate on Sunday when CBS host Margaret Brennan asked him if the Republicans were willing to pass a clean bill to fund the government without setting aside new money for a wall on the Mexico border. Note that the bill that was passed by both houses of Congress previously included money for "border security," though not specifically a wall/fence/slats.
Graham told Brennan that after speaking to Donald Trump over the weekend, "it was pretty clear to me that we're never going to have a deal unless we get a wall as part of it."
"We're having to negotiate with people who want to abolish [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)], not support ICE," Graham insisted. "Having to negotiate with people who see border patrol agents gassing children. We're negotiating with people who give us one dollar for wall even though it's immoral and accuse all of us who support a wall as part of border security as racist."
"As long as radical left is in charge we're never going to get anywhere," he continued. "The president will compromise, though he will not capitulate, that's where we're at."
Graham raised his voice as he leveled an attack on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
"Nancy Pelosi has made progress as she has gone from a penny to a dollar!" Graham shouted. "Nancy Pelosi sees the border crisis as manufactured. President Trump sees it as real. And until we see the same movie, you're never going to reach a conclusion. The president is right to dig in to get money for a wall as part of border security."
"Why can't you reopen the government while you argue about the things you just laid out?" Brennan asked the South Carolina Republican.
"Why would you negotiate with somebody who calls you a racist if you want a wall, who gives you a dollar for a wall?" Graham complained. "We're not going to negotiate with people who see the world this way. We'll negotiate with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). But I'm not going to negotiate with someone who calls the Border Patrol a bunch of Nazis."
"What about those people who work for Homeland Security, who carry out the policies you're talking about who are not going to get paid?" the CBS host interrupted. "What about the Coast Guard."
"They're being held hostage by people saying you need one dollar to secure the border," Graham snapped.
"So, you don't want to open the government and then continue talking?" Brennan wondered.
"I do want to open up the government!" Graham exclaimed. "But the goal is not to open up the government. The goal is to fix a broken immigration system, to bring reality to the table, that ICE is not the problem, it's the solution!"
"We're not going to give in to this radical left -- ever!" he insisted. "Until we can find a rational way forward and have a wall as part of a border security plan, we're going nowhere."
