Senator Lindsey Graham defended former President Donald Trump on Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, offering a bizarre response to allegations of a “catch-and-kill” scheme involving the National Enquirer. The term “catch-and-kill” refers to the practice of buying the rights to negative stories with the intention of preventing their publication, thereby protecting a person’s reputation.
Host Dana Bash asked Graham about the recent testimony of David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, who stated under oath that he began to “catch-and-kill” negative stories about Trump after the Trump campaign explicitly asked for his assistance. The intention behind the scheme was to shield Trump’s image during his 2016 presidential campaign.
“David Pecker, who ran the National Enquirer’s parent company, testified that he paid to catch and kill stories about Trump, specifically to help his presidential campaign,” Bash said. “You don’t have any concerns about that?”
The senator launched into an odd defense of the former president.
“You know, apparently a lot of people do this,” Graham said. “Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tiger Woods. I think the whole thing is a crock.”
Graham responded to Bash’s question by downplaying the significance of the catch-and-kill practice, suggesting that it was common among high-profile individuals. He mentioned Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tiger Woods as examples of celebrities involved in similar arrangements with Pecker’s publication.
However, Bash quickly countered Graham’s justification, pointing out that Tiger Woods, unlike Trump, was not running for president, implying that the stakes were considerably higher in Trump’s case. Graham acknowledged Bash’s point, but dismissed the catch-and-kill scheme’s relevance, labeling it “political BS” and a distraction.
