DAMAGE CONTROL

White House Directed Lindsey Graham to Block Resolution That Recognized Armenian Genocide

“The only reason I did it is because Erdogan was still in town... that would’ve been poor timing,” Graham said.

Senior White House staff asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to block the resolution that would officially recognize the Armenian genocide passed by the House in October because it was likely to infuriate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Graham confirmed to Axios that after he was asked to block the measure, he said, “Sure.” “The only reason I did it is because Erdogan was still in town... that would’ve been poor timing,” Graham told Axios. “I’m trying to salvage the relationship if possible.” He also said he felt uncomfortable blocking the measure because Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has “been working on this for years.” He added that he “won’t object next time.” Last week, Menendez and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the Armenian genocide resolution again, but Axios reports that the White House asked Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) to block it.