President-elect Donald Trump complained throughout his campaign about "how crooked" Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was, and it would be a mistake to let her use of a private email server and the Clinton Foundation go without further investigation, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday.
"So much for 'lock her up,' I guess," the South Carolina Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program. "The bottom line is, I think, the Clinton Foundation, the whole mess needs to be looked at with an independent view, not a political agenda. I never believed this Justice Department under [President Barack] Obama would seriously look at what she may have done."
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway confirmed a report from MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program that Trump had decided not to seek Clinton's prosecution, after a source "close to Trump's thinking" had told the program that Clinton has been "through enough."
"When the president tells you he doesn't wish to pursue the charges, it sends a strong message," Conway said. "I think Hillary Clinton still has to face the fact that a majority of Americans don't find her to be honest or trustworthy, but if Trump can help her heal, perhaps that's a good thing.
"He's thinking of many different things as he prepares to become the president of the United States, and things that sound like the campaign are not among them.
"I can understand wanting to go put the election behind us and heal the nation," Graham said. "I believe with all the things Donald Trump said about how crooked she was, that we don't let it go without some serious efforts to see if the law was violated. That would be a mistake."
In addition, Graham pointed out, there are many other investigations still pending regarding the Clinton Foundation, including by the FBI, and if there are findings, he doesn't think Tuesday's revelation would preclude prosecution in those probes.
"We are investigating the idea that an aide to former President [Bill] Clinton monetized the Clinton Foundation in this regard," said Graham. "He reached out to foreign entities and said if you give to the foundation you will have access to the secretary of state. That's not right. Politics is politics. People help you financially, you try to help them within the boundaries of the law."
Also on Tuesday, Graham defended Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's controversial pick for attorney general, who may face confirmation issues because of comments he made nearly 30 years ago over race and the Ku Klux Klan.
"I have known Jeff for some years," said Graham. "I will have questions for him in the Judiciary Committee, [but] these attacks on his character that he's a closet racist and what he might have said 30 years ago is garbage. I'll be glad to challenge Jeff when we disagree, but support him in terms of him being a good, decent man. To my Democratic colleagues, watch what you do here."
There have been accusations that conservatives from the South "means you are a racist," said Graham, and he won't "put up with that."
"I come from South Carolina," he said. "We have had our challenges in the past, we still have our challenges. But I'm not going to sit idly by and watch that."
He also said it was "nice to cross the aisle" when Trump talked to Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who is reportedly under consideration for various cabinet posts, but he is "diametrically opposed" to her proposed approach to Syria.
"I'm opposed to the idea that we should leave [Syrian Leader Bashar al] Assad in power because you are giving Syria to the Iranians," said Graham.