Lindsey Graham insists he’s not ‘inconsistent’ for backing Trump as he’s dismissed as ‘a spineless coward’

South Carolina senator said he would still support former president in 2024 race

Senator Lindsey Graham defended himself after a former CIA head called him a "spineless coward" for refusing to condemn Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Mr Graham said his opposition to Mr Trump's second indictment related to the documents and his beliefs that sensitive materials must be handled properly are not contradictory.

"I'm very concerned about mishandling classified information," he told The Independent. "I'm also very concerned about ... equal treatment under the law. Those two things are not inconsistent."

His comments come after former CIA director John Brennan called him a "spineless coward" for defending the former president.

“That is why I find it so, so disheartening and It makes me angry when I hear people like Lindsey Graham make excuses and apologies for Donald Trump," Mr Brennan said during an appearance on MSNBC. “Those are the words of a spineless coward, quite frankly, who is frightened by Donald Trump and is frightened by those individuals who still cling to an image of Donald Trump as being this very strong leader, which he is not.”

Mr Graham defended Mr Trump during an ABC News interview on Sunday, arguing his second indictment would make him "stronger" in his re-election campaign.

The senator insisted that Mr Trump's investigation is no different than the Hillary Clinton email scandal — despite their being notable difference between those situations — and argued that the former president had been "overcharged" through the use of the Espionage Act.

"Did he do things wrong? Yes, he may have. He will be tried about that. But Hillary Clinton wasn't," he told ABC News's George Stephanopoulos.

When Stephanopoulos pressed Mr Graham on the audio recordings of Mr Trump discussing the secret information and admitting he had not declassified it when he was in office, Mr Graham claimed ignorance.

Senator Lindsey Graham insisted that his support of Donald Trump was not in conflict with his concerns over the handling of sensitive government documents (AFP via Getty Images)

"I don't know what happened; I haven't heard the audio," Mr Graham said. "But look at who's been charged under the Espionage Act: Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning -- people who turned over classified information to news organizations ... or provide it to a foreign power. That did not happen here."

Each time Mr Graham was confronted with the evidence against Mr Trump, he deflected to Ms Clinton, prompting Stephanopoulos to tell him that she had been fully investigated and that no charges were brought against her.

Mr Graham dismissed that explanation saying "yeah right" and "give me a break."

No evidence was found that Ms Clinton intended to "communicate classified information on unclassified systems," according to the investigation's findings. That report also noted that Ms Clinton's emails were not marked in a way that would inform her of their classification status.

The evidence against Mr Trump includes the previously stated audio recording, but also allegations that he worked to conceal the records from federal authorities after they asked for their return.

Both Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence were also found to have sensitive documents in their personal possession, but they cooperated with authorities to return those documents — a key difference between their situations and Mr Trump's.

With reporting from Eric Garcia