How messed up are Trump Supporters?

[Angrboda]

Lindsey Graham Welcomed Trump’s China Tariffs, Then Helped Companies Avoid Them

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has been one of the biggest proponents of President Trump’s crackdown on China, welcoming tariffs on Chinese imports while conceding that they will raise costs for American businesses and consumers.

“There is no way for us to address China without absorbing some pain here,” Mr. Graham said in August.

But behind the scenes, Mr. Graham has been working to help chemical and textile companies in his home state avoid the pain of Mr. Trump’s trade war. The senator has advocated on behalf of seven South Carolina companies that import products from China, writing letters urging the Trump administration to remove materials they rely on from a list of goods subject to Mr. Trump’s tariffs.

Mr. Trump’s tariffs, Mr. Graham told the administration, could “economically harm consumers and stifle economic growth in South Carolina.”

The senator has written seven letters to the United States trade representative on behalf of companies seeking tariff relief — more than any other member of Congress has penned. Four of those seven received at least some of the relief they were seeking.

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In September, Mr. Graham wrote letters to Robert E. Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, on behalf of those firms, arguing that the tariffs would cause irreparable harm to domestic companies.