Lindsey Graham: Press on Trump 'Hysterical', 'Over the Top'

A free press and independent judiciary are "worth fighting and dying for," but the news media has gone "over the top" in its reporting on President Donald Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday.

In an interview on CBS News' "Face The Nation," the South Carolina Republican, who was videotaped in Munich, where he attended an international security conference, said the media needs "to do some self-evaluation."

"The backbone of democracy is a free press and independent judiciary that are worth fighting and dying for," Graham said. "We need to understand the role of the press and jealously guard it."

But, he added: "I would say this to the American press corps: When it comes to Trump, you’re over the top."

"You’re acting more like an opposition party," he said – a phrase that echoes that of Trump and his chief strategist, Steve Bannon. 

"Every president’s had problems with the press. You need to do your job, but from a Republican point of view, I think the coverage against President Trump has been almost to the point of being hysterical."

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