Donald Trump Jokingly Offered Lindsey Graham Attorney General Position

Senator Lindsey Graham shared an interesting anecdote from the weekend he spent golfing with President Donald Trump during an interview with CNN on Tuesday. According to Graham, Trump casually said to him, “You wouldn’t want to be attorney general, would you?”

Graham, who has found himself in the president’s good graces due to his actions in recent weeks, said that he responded, “No, I wouldn’t give this up for anything.”

Trump apparently laughed off the refusal, saying, “Yeah, I didn’t think so. That would be kind of stupid.” Graham said that he was quite sure that Trump’s offer was something of a joke, as he was laughing when he said it.

While a role for Graham may not be on the cards, Trump has another vacancy to fill after the bombshell announcement from Nikki Haley that she would be leaving her role as the American ambassador to the United Nations by the end of the year. Rumors are already circulating that someone from his current staff is likely to move to the role, leading to speculation as to what changes it will make to the Trump administration.

Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina who is up for re-election in 2020, made it clear to CNN that he would refuse if Trump offered him a role in his Cabinet.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says President Donald Trump jokingly asked if he wanted to be attorney general https://t.co/l7S0j59Jcw pic.twitter.com/56S12ltHq1

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 9, 2018

“I told him when we were playing golf: You don’t want me in the Cabinet,” Graham said. “I don’t want to be in the Cabinet. He likes me, I like him. Sometimes we disagree. I got the best job in town. You can do like 100 things here. I ain’t going nowhere. If the people of South Carolina keep me, I’ll stay.”

Graham also spoke about his potential future role as the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, telling CNN that he would not allow the nomination of any Supreme Court candidates once the presidential primaries begin in 2020. This opposes the change of heart from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who revealed that he would permit a nomination in 2020, despite refusing to allow Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland to pass the Senate in 2016.

“I’d be very inclined to take it into the next election,” said Graham as he explained his position. “I’d be inclined, once primary season starts, to take it into the next presidency.”

A reporter spoke to Trump on Tuesday about Graham’s potential as the next Attorney General. Trump replied by saying, “He is somebody that never asked me that question. I think he’s very happy where he is. He’s having a good time. And he really stepped it up. He’s doing great.”