President Joe Biden claims that leaders of the Republican political movement weren’t merely predicting, but asking for “rioting in the streets.”
However, there is no evidence that a Republican leader has called for violence. Biden clearly did not quote Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) accurately.
Biden gave a fiery speech in Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Thursday evening, where he claimed “MAGA Republicans” are enemies of democracy. While describing his political adversaries as violent extremists, Biden declared: “There are public figures today, yesterday, and the day before, predicting and all but calling for mass violence and rioting in the streets.”
It is believed that Biden was referring back to comments made by Graham when he warned that there could be rioting if Trump was indicted by the Department of Justice.
Breitbart News fact-checked Biden earlier this week, when he insisted Graham said the use of violence is “appropriate.”
Democrats and the media have obsessed in recent days over a warning by Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), who said in a recent interview: “If they try to prosecute President Trump for mishandling classified information after Hillary Clinton set up a server in her basement, there literally will be riots in the street.”
But warning that there might be unrest over a double standard in law enforcement — as there was, with Democrat support, throughout 2020 — is not the same as saying that violence is “necessary” or “appropriate.”
It is, at best, a wild exaggeration to claim that Graham was actually advocating for violence; from the mouth of the President of the United States, that claim is arguably inflammatory in and of itself, as it may be used to justify violence by Democrats.
Graham later explained his statement to Fox News:
“What I said Sunday was Americans reject [and] I reject violence — but I also reject the double standard here,” Graham said. “So if they try to prosecute President Trump for mishandling classified information after the Clinton debacle when she was secretary of state, people in this country will lose faith in law enforcement.”
…
“I reject violence. But, Mr. President, you need to talk to the vice president of the United States, your vice president, about bailing out rioters. Doesn’t that encourage violence?”
There is no indication that Republican leaders have called for violence. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) who is the leader of this party's Midterm Campaign delivered an address earlier on Thursday in which he urged Republicans to cast a vote in November's election.
Biden's remarks were too much for even some left-leaning CNN folks, including anchor Brianna Keilar, who was critical of the Biden’s use of Marines as props.
