The one crucial element Lindsey Graham ignored with his 'flimsy' attack on Colorado ruling: analysis

After the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that 2024 presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is disqualified from the state's 2024 GOP primary ballot, countless Republicans rushed to his defense — including conservative Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).

Graham, who went from being a scathing Trump critic during the 2016 election to becoming a staunch loyalist after he became president, is claiming that the Colorado court's decision will have a "chilling" effect on future elections. But The New Republic's Jason Linkins tears the senator's "flimsy" arguments apart in an article published on December 26.

In Anderson v. Griswold, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment makes Trump ineligible for the ballot. Under Section 3, an "officer" who has engaged in "insurrection" is excluded from running for office.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

In response to the decision, Graham told ABC News, "Donald Trump will eventually be on the ballot in Colorado. I think he will win the primary; he's got a lot of good choices in the Republican Party. But this ruling in Colorado is chilling to me, and it would set up a politicization of the presidential races. It would be bad for the country."

Linkins, however, agrees with the Colorado justices, who wrote that they had "solemn duty to apply the law…. without being swayed by public reaction."

Linkins writes, "Graham's contribution to that public reaction is to assail the Colorado court decision for creating a 'chilling' effect — presumably on future would-be despots since it's not clear who, outside of those determined to have gravely violated the public trust, would be bound by the precedent set by the Colorado decision…. If Graham is sincerely worried about the 'chilling' effect that the ruling may have on future political candidates, he should take heart.… Indeed, in the rich history of American presidents and presidential candidates, only one figure — Donald Trump — seems to have run afoul of the Constitution in this manner."

The journalist adds, "Moreover, the Republican Party seems to have several people running for president right this very minute who qualify for Colorado's ballot and who needn't worry about this court ruling."

READ MORE:Why Brett Kavanaugh already shot down Trump’s immunity-from-prosecution claim — 2 decades ago

Read Jason Linkins' full article for The New Republic at this link.