Senate

Graham: Include Cruz on Trump’s Supreme Court list

by Jordain Carney - 11/11/16 7:22 PM ET

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is floating Sen. Ted Cruz, his former primary opponent, as a potenial Supreme Court pick under Donald Trump’s administration.

The South Carolina Republican said Friday that Trump should look within the Senate for potential picks to the country’s top court.

{mosads}“There are some really strong people in there. And there is no stronger constitutional conservative than Ted Cruz,” he told reporters at a Veterans Day event, according to a local TV station.

Trump has released nearly two dozen names as potential Supreme Court appointments, including Cruz’s closest ally Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). Graham added Friday that “I would put Ted Cruz on that list.”

Trump will be tasked with filling the vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, and could potentially have more seats to fill before his term is up.

Graham eventually endorsed Cruz’s presidential bid but he’s also acted as a frequent foil to his GOP colleague and Trump, after losing the GOP primary to both of them.

In headline grabbing remarks earlier this year, he compared having to choose between the two like picking between “being shot or poisoned.”

He also quipped roughly a month later at a congressional dinner that “if you kill Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody could convict you.”

Though Graham said earlier this week that he voted for independent candidate Evan McMullin, he also warned Democrats against stonewalling a Trump Supreme Court nominee.

“If they try to block this pick, they will regret it,” he said. “If you don’t honor Trump’s nominee, you’re making a huge mistake.”

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