Trump Should 'Punch a Cop' Before Being Booked, Says Lindsey Graham

• South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham jokingly suggested that Donald Trump punch a cop on his way to his arraignment in New York on Tuesday.
• The indictment against Trump relates to his alleged role in hush money payments to Stormy Daniels in 2016.
• Trump denies all wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has joked that former President Donald Trump should "punch a cop" before his arraignment in New York on Tuesday following his indictment by a grand jury in Manhattan.

The South Carolina senator took to Twitter on Friday and appeared to criticize crime in New York while questioning the indictment, which relates to Trump's alleged role in hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

The former president reportedly plans to fly from his home in Florida to New York on Tuesday in order to be arraigned but it's not yet clear exactly what charges Trump will be facing.

"How can President Trump avoid prosecution in New York?" Graham tweeted.

"On the way to the DA's office on Tuesday, Trump should smash some windows, rob a few shops and punch a cop. He would be released IMMEDIATELY!" the senator went on.

In a subsequent tweet, Graham appeared to criticize people who hadn't understood that his post about Trump committing crimes in New York was meant in jest.

"How do you know if you're a liberal? You don't understand the irony of my tweet regarding Trump's visit to New York," Graham tweeted.

Though Graham's tweets seemed to highlight the issue of crime in New York, the crime rate there has declined month-on-month since February, according to an NYPD announcement on March 3.

"For the month of February 2023, overall index crime compared to February 2022 declined by 5.6% (8,785 v. 9,304) – driving a 0.4% (18,909 v. 18,976) reduction in overall index crime year-to-date compared to 2022," the NYPD said.

The NYPD added that February "also saw the number of overall shooting incidents and murders in New York City both continue their week-over-week and month-over-month declines."

Citywide robberies were also down 10.5 percent in February 2023 compared to the previous year.

On Thursday, Graham was interrupted by a member of the live audience while speaking to Fox News's Sean Hannity about the grand jury's indictment of the former president, which the senator called "legal voodoo."

"You have got a misdemeanor that has been made a felony. Nobody in the history of New York City has been prosecuted under this theory except for Donald J. Trump. This case will fall like a cheap suit under legal scrutiny..." Graham said, at which point a woman interrupted him, saying, "It is a wonderful day."

The senator continued giving his answer and the moment soon garnered attention on social media.

Former President Trump has denied all wrongdoing and denied ever having an affair with Daniels. He has also repeatedly attacked the investigation and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

"This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history," the former president said in a statement obtained by Newsweek on Thursday.

"From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats - the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country - have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement," he said.

Newsweek has reached out to Lindsey Graham's office via email for comment.