(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- Most people would think that former President Donald Trump was the biggest winner from his family following his impeachment acquittal over the weekend.
But Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina begs to differ a bit. He believes the former president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, could be a huge benefactor of the events.
On Sunday, Graham told Fox News:
“The biggest winner of this whole impeachment trial is Lara Trump. My dear friend Richard Burr, who I like and have been friends to a long time, just made Lara Trump almost the certain nominee for the Senate seat in North Carolina to replace him if she runs, and I certainly will be behind her because she represents the future of the Republican Party.”
Burr, who is retiring when his term as a senator from North Carolina ends, surprisingly voted to convict Trump in the impeachment trial. It was particularly a shock given that Burr had previously voted twice that the impeachment trial itself was unconstitutional.
But, when it came time to vote Saturday, Burr crossed the aisle and sided with Democrats. In a statement following the trial, Burr said:
“The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a coequal branch of government and that the charge rises to the level of high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Therefore, I have voted to convict.”
Just hours after the vote and statement, the North Carolina GOP condemned their Senator. The party’s chairman said in a statement of his own:
“North Carolina Republicans sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution, and his vote today to convict in a trial that he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing.”
Burr was one of seven Republicans to vote to convict Trump.
Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, served as one of the top surrogates for both of the former president’s campaigns in 2016 and 2020. According to a poll conducted late last year, Lara Trump would be a leading candidate for the seat currently occupied by Burr if she did decide to run.
According to that poll, Trump had a slight advantage over North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory among Republican voters. The only major Republican to announce a formal candidacy for the Senate seat thus far is Representative Mark Walker. He polled way behind both Trump and McCrory in that poll, though.
But, Lara Trump would seem to have a leg up on the competition. Most Republican voters support Donald Trump for a 2024 run for the Republican nomination for president, with 76% in support of him, compared to only 6% supporting Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
As for the impeachment trial, Graham said he believed Congress “opened a Pandora’s box to future presidents” by impeaching Trump even though he was no longer in office. He also said they “abused” the legislative branch’s constitutional check on the executive branch.
