The South Carolina Republican told CNN that he “did not like” how Trump pardoned people who “beat up cops,” and suggested he would be open to curtailing the presidential pardon power.

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday said President Donald Trump sent “the wrong signal” in pardoning Jan. 6 rioters who violently assaulted police officers.

Senator Lindsey Graham said Sunday he doesn’t approve of President Trump’s pardons for January 6 defendants who were convicted of violent crimes, particularly those who “beat up cops.” Asked during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union whether he is okay with the pardons for violent offenders,

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham incited the fury of President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters after describing the president’s decision to pardon more than 1500 Jan. 6 insurrectionists as a “mistake”—with one former prisoner slamming Graham as a “Republican in name only.

Trump pardoned over 1,500 people charged with attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, 34 of them from South Carolina.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, affirmed his opinion of Trump pardoning Jan. 6 rioters saying he doesn't like anything that would send the "wrong signal"

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., broke with President Donald Trump on his pardons of accused Jan. 6 rioters. During an interview on NBC's " Meet the Press " on Sunday, Graham called the pardons of 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants "a mistake," adding that it sent the wrong message to supporters about violence and the rule of law.

President Trump issued a sweeping clemency order covering around 1,500 rioters for their role on the Capitol attack that attempted to block congressional certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory on Jan.

Trump pardoned about 1,500 people who were charged for their actions during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. That number includes 172 who pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers. Graham, however, points out that Trump said he would grant the pardons if he was reelected.