Lindsey Graham Rejects Conspiracy Theories, Says Kamala Harris Is ‘Unequivocally An American Citizen’
On Friday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina rejected birther conspiracy theories about California Democrat Kamala Harris, The Hill reported.
Earlier this week, the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Joe Biden, announced Harris as his running mate in the 2020 presidential election.
In a series of tweets, Graham — who is one of President Donald Trump’s key allies in Congress — wrote that he disagrees with Harris’ policy proposals, but stressed that there is no room for debate as to whether she is eligible to serve as vice president or not.
“There are plenty of issues to find disagreement with @KamalaHarris regarding her record as Senator or as a Vice Presidential nominee,” Graham began.
“She is consistently rated one of the most liberal members of the U.S. Senate, fully embracing a radical Democratic agenda,” Graham continued.
“However, there is no issue as to whether or not she is an American citizen. She was born in the United States in 1964 to parents who were legally present. Under the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent, she is unequivocally an American citizen.”
Graham seemingly broke with Trump, who appeared to amplify the conspiracy theory during a press conference on Thursday.
“I heard today that she doesn’t meet the requirements,” Trump told reporters at the daily coronavirus briefing, pointing to a Newsweek op-ed penned by conservative law professor John Eastman.
He added that he has “no idea” whether the allegations are true or not.
Harris was born in the United States to a Jamaican father and Indian mother. But, according to Eastman, she is ineligible to serve because her parents were not naturalized citizens at the time of her birth.
In his column, the law professor argued that Harris cannot serve as vice president because of the 12th Amendment and Article II of the U.S. Constitution, and the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Legal experts rejected the op-ed, and Trump was slammed for seemingly lending credence to Eastman’s allegations. For years, the commander-in-chief pushed similar theories about his predecessor, Barack Obama.
On Friday, White House adviser Jared Kushner insisted that Trump was not promoting a conspiracy theory about the California lawmaker.
Kushner pointed out that Trump said he had “no idea” if the column was accurate and said that he personally does not believe Harris is ineligible to be Biden’s running mate.
Trump’s son-in-law also accused the news media of spreading “disinformation.”
The Trump campaign’s legal adviser, Jenna Ellis, has also promoted Eastman’s op-ed.
