Trump, Lindsey Graham in Twitter fight over Charlottesville remarks

President Donald Trump has taken a swipe at a fellow Republican, calling Sen. Lindsey Graham a “publicity seeking” lawmaker.

In a daybreak post on his Twitter account Thursday, Trump faulted the GOP senator for statements Graham has made about the president’s stance on the violence and death of a woman in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump said in his tweet: “Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists and people like Ms. Heyer.” He was referring to Heather Heyer, the woman who was killed when she was struck by a car driven into the crowd.

Graham had responded to Trump’s Tuesday press conference by saying the president “took a step backward by again suggesting there is moral equivalency between the white supremacist neo-Nazis and KKK members who attended the Charlottesville rally” and the people demonstrating against them. “Many Republicans do not agree with and will fight back against the idea that the party of Lincoln has a welcome mat out for the David Dukes of the world,” Graham added, referring to the former Ku Klux Klan leader.

“Such a disgusting lie,” Trump said of Graham’s remarks. “He just can’t forget his election trouncing. The people of South Carolina will remember.”

Graham responded later that morning, agreeing that Trump’s praise of Heyer was appreciated, but adding that because of the way he responded to the march by white supremacists in Charlottesville, “you are now receiving praise from some of the most racist and hate-filled individuals and groups in our country. … For the sake of our Nation — as our President — please fix this. … History is watching us all.

In a separate tweet, Trump accused “the Fake News” of distorting “what I say about hate, bigotry, etc. Shame!”

Graham responded: