The confrontation began with Graham’s statement on Twitter dismissing Pelosi for cancelling Trump’s State of the Union address until the government shutdown ends. Graham slammed Pelosi for meddling with “an important piece of [US] history and government,” calling the new tactics “absurd, petty, and shameful” and “a new low” in American politics.
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.@LindseyGrahamSC calls the battle over State of the Union and @SpeakerPelosi action a “new low for American politics..” pic.twitter.com/yJUtqgWhvG
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) 23 января 2019 г.
Ocasio-Cortez was quick to respond. She tweeted that Graham, in turn, had failed to hold Trump accountable for the government shutdown and other controversial decisions.
According to @LindseyGrahamSC, the President failing to condemn neo-nazis, forcing thousands of federal workers to go to food pantries,& risking all their credit scores is whatever, but not letting the President march down the House Floor until we pay people first is “a new low.” https://t.co/mx9CthfxWD
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) 24 января 2019 г.
Graham responded by a reference to Ocasio-Cortez’ recent comment that the world is going to end in twelve years due to climate change and global warming. “Let’s bury the hatchet and enjoy the next 12 years because they are going to be our last, right?” he wrote.
Let’s bury the hatchet and enjoy the next 12 years because they are going to be our last, right? https://t.co/OKhAAcGKyr
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) 24 января 2019 г.
The beef came in the midst of the ongoing confrontation between Trump and congressional Democrats over funding for southern border security, which resulted in the longest shutdown in US history. On Friday Trump announced that he and the Democrats had reached a temporary deal to reopen the US federal government until 15 February in order to hold talks on getting a final border security agreement.