Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), in an apparent reference to the midterm elections, said Sunday he hopes the Democrats get their "ass beat" over what they did to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.
Graham, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, exploded on Senate Democrats last month for their handling of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's accusation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a house party in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh flatly denied that and other accusations of sexual misconduct which did not have corroborating evidence, and his drinking habits, high school yearbook and virginity all eventually came under scrutiny in one of the ugliest confirmation processes in American history.
On Sept. 27, when Ford and Kavanaugh both testified in front of the committee, Graham ripped Democrats for sitting on Ford's allegation and wanting to destroy Kavanaugh's life.
"This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics, and if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn't have done what you've done to this guy!" he said.
Graham gained newfound popularity with supporters of President Donald Trump for his passionate defense of Kavanaugh, who was eventually confirmed, and he explained his mindset at the time in a radio interview Sunday with Charlie James.
"I was really pissed," Graham said in an interview flagged by CNN's Andrew Kaczynski. "You know what pissed me off so much is I've known Brett for 20 years. What you see is what you get. They had this information. They sit on it. They betrayed Dr. Ford's trust. Something happened to her, but I really don't believe Brett Kavanaugh had anything to do with it."
Graham told radio host Charlie James he was most upset by Democrats hijacking the process and humiliating Kavanaugh, particularly taking issue with the Democrats who told Kavanaugh he should want an FBI investigation if he had nothing to hide.
"I wouldn't want to be a Republican charged with a crime in Hawaii," Graham quipped in a broadside at Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii).
As he's noted before, Graham pointed out he voted to confirm Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan even when most Republicans didn't.
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"If you don't want to vote for Kavanaugh, fine, but quit trying to ruin a good man's life. And they would just keep piling on and piling on, and I had it," Graham said. "Why is always our people? [Samuel] Alito, [Robert] Bork, [Clarence] Thomas, now Kavanaugh. So enough already."
"And I hope it blows up in their face, and I hope they get their ass beat," he added.
He thanked Democrats for unifying the Republican Party around getting Kavanaugh confirmed.
"We're together now, and you can see a bump all over the country," he said of the polls. "We're not going to turn this country over to a mob, and the left has gone nuts. Trump has driven them nuts, so don't give them any more power."
When James posed the hypothetical of Trump getting to nominate a third Supreme Court justice should Ruth Bader Ginsburg step down, Graham said it would be "World War III."
Graham also said Trump was a "damn good president" and praised his policies and sense of humor, a far cry from the 2016 election cycle when he called him a "jackass" who was unelectable and not fit for office. The two have formed a strong partnership since Trump took office.
Listen to the interview: