Appearing to be on the verge of a breakdown of some sort during Monday’s Cuomo Prime Time, CNN political commentator and Never Trumper Ana Navarro got all worked up talking about Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and how he’s sided with President Trump more and more.
Completely derailing a conversation that was supposed to be about how Attorney General William Barr hired a respected prosecutor to investigate how the Russia probe was started, Navarro grieved for her old friend. “Lindsey has been a friend of mine for so many years. I used to be able to pick up the phone and talk to Lindsey any time I wanted. He hasn't picked up the phone in a long time, so I'm going to use your show to talk to him,” she said with what seemed like emotion welling up in her voice.
“Look, I was so proud to be a supporter of Lindsey Graham. I hosted fundraisers for him. I traveled with him. I loved this man. He was a truth speaker. He was a straight talker. He was John McCain's best friend,” she said.
According to Navarro, Graham was being corrupted into a man she didn’t recognize, who wasn’t living up to McCain’s legacy (click “expand”):
When I see what has become of Lindsey Graham right now, it hurts my heart. It hurts my heart because this is not Lindsey Graham I know. Like Senator Manchin, I too don't recognize him. I know, he is a man who loves his country, who is a patriot, who has served his country. I am proud and grateful for his service but I am hoping that Lindsey Graham realizes that he is not serving this country well. He’s not serving the constitution well. He is not serving the memory of John McCain well.
Ask himself, “what would John McCain do in this moment?” You know, he is not in Congress, he’s not in the U.S. Senate to be Donald Trump's accomplice, Donald Trump's lawyer, Donald Trump's defender and adviser, a legal adviser for Donald Trump Jr. He is there to represent the people of South Carolina. He is there to defend the U.S. Constitution.
“Lindsey, go back to being Lindsey. I feel like it's an episode of [Invasion of] the Body Snatchers. That horrible sci-fi movie from the 1970s,” she lamented.
After host Chris Cuomo got his name wrong, actual conservative Mike Shields cut right through Navarro’s whining. He simply stated the obvious in that “Lindsey Graham represents the people of South Carolina, not pundits on CNN, not anyone in the media.”
“Secondly, I just love it when people love a politician when they’re on their side. And they think they have great integrity. And they're so thoughtful when they agree with them,” Shields continued. “But when they disagree with them they're no longer thoughtful, they’re no longer an expert, they’re no longer a legal expert, which Lindsey Graham is. Now they’ve lost their way.”
A short time later, and after more shrieking from Navarro, Shields argued that politicians change their minds all the time, whether it’s through cynical political calculations or they learn something new based on evidence. “What I think is, that Lindsey Graham knows what he is talking about...I mean, Lindsey Graham is someone who is sticking by what he thinks is the right thing to do in all circumstances,” he said.
As the segment was wrapping up, Navarro started to speak over Cuomo and pleaded with Senator Graham to call her: “Lindsey, if you have an issue with anything I'm saying, you know my number, baby. Give me a call, because I've got to talk to you.”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time
May 13, 2019
9:16:01 p.m. Eastern(…)
ANA NAVARRO: But Chris, if I may. As they say in Congress, a point of personal privilege I was hearing your interview with Senator Manchin about Lindsey Graham. Lindsey has been a friend of mine for so many years. I used to be able to pick up the phone and talk to Lindsey any time I wanted. He hasn't picked up the phone in a long time, so I'm going to use your show to talk to him.
Look, I was so proud to be a supporter of Lindsey Graham. I hosted fund-raisers for him. I traveled with him. I loved this man. He was a truth speaker. He was a straight talker. He was John McCain's best friend.
When I see what has become of Lindsey Graham right now, it hurts my heart. It hurts my heart because this is not Lindsey Graham I know. Like Senator Manchin, I too don't recognize him. I know, he is a man who loves his country, who is a patriot, who has served his country. I am proud and grateful for his service but I am hoping that Lindsey Graham realizes that he is not serving this country well. He’s not serving the constitution well. He is not serving the memory of John McCain well.
Ask himself, “what would John McCain do in this moment?” You know, he is not in Congress, he’s not in the U.S. Senate to be Donald Trump's accomplice, Donald Trump's lawyer, Donald Trump's defender and adviser, a legal adviser for Donald Trump Jr. He is there to represent the people of South Carolina. He is there to defend the U.S. Constitution.
Lindsey, go back to being Lindsey. I feel like it's an episode of [Invasion of] the Body Snatchers. That horrible sci-fi movie from the 1970s.
CHRIS CUOMO: Well Will, you know, Lindsey Graham—to hear it from his own mouth he doesn't have any concerns or moral conundrums about what he’s doing. He thinks they're all questions of straight law. I don't see why he would encourage Trump Jr. to break the law and defying a subpoena but he’s walked that back a little bit. What’s your take on his posture?
NAVARRO: Look, you don't have to have a take.
CUOMO: Let me get Will in here.
MIKE SHIELDS: Hey, this is Mike.
CUOMO: I'm sorry, Mike.
SHIELDS: That's all right. Look, first of all, I think Lindsey Graham represents the people of South Carolina not pundits on CNN, not anyone in the media. He does what the voters in his state want him to do and that's why he's going get reelected.
Secondly, I just love it when people love a politician when they’re on their side. And they think they have great integrity. And they're so thoughtful when they agree with them, but when they disagree with them they're no longer thoughtful, they’re no longer an expert, they’re no longer a legal expert, which Lindsey Graham is. Now they’ve lost their way.
Maybe he’s the same person the entire time and he actually has an opinion about this because he’s been in Congress for a long time and has a lot of expertise in it. And so, I think Lindsey’s doing exactly what he thinks is the right thing to do and my guess is he has a clean conscious and he feels great about it.
(…)
SHIELDS: Either they're all politicians and you can cast them all with a broad stroke, Gerald Nadler his idea of contempt was completely different with Eric Holder than it is now as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Or, political situations change and people are politicians that way. Or, you know, they change their minds and a lot of times we love it when a politician will change their mind. Why do they just stick to the same thing over again? Why don’t they read the evidence and look at what's going on? You can take your pick on those things. I mean--
CUOMO: They're both terrible. Because, either you're just saying all politicians suck and they have situational ethics, which I happen to not believe and I would really think that, Mike, you don’t that either. Or, it's that Lindsey Graham developed a new definition of what obstruction of justice is?
SHIELDS: No, what I think is, that Lindsey Graham knows what he is talking about. Lindsey Graham is a person-- Look at how Lindsey Graham was during the Kavanaugh hearings. I mean, Lindsey Graham is someone who is sticking by what he thinks is the right thing to do in all circumstances. And when you happen to agree with him you think that’s wonderful. And when you happen to disagree with him it’s not.
(…)
NAVARRO: Lindsey, if you have an issue with anything I'm saying, you know my number, baby. Give me a call, because I've got to talk to you.
