Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy responded to liberal comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late night smear on Thursday, saying the actor bought into “liberal garbage” and should have “picked up the phone” before he called Bill Cassidy “a liar” on national television.
“Do you think that this legislation passes the Jimmy Kimmel test?” asked a reporter from NBC News. “He called you a liar last night.”
“That was a personal attack, and I can’t help that,” said Sen. Cassidy. “All I can say is that if you’re in Texas, or if you’re in Maine, Virginia, Missouri, there will be resources in your state that you’ve not had to provide you coverage, and we have protections for pre-existing conditions.”
“Jimmy Kimmel is funny, he’s a very decent fellow, he has a sick child, and nothing is more emotional than a sick child. Here’s what I wish he had done. I wished he would have called Senator Cassidy to ask him, ‘Is what I’m reading true?'” said Sen. Graham.
“He heard some liberal talking points that are absolute garbage, he bought it hook-line-and-sinker, he didn’t give him the courtesy of hearing his side of the story, he went on national TV and called this man who has worked for the under-privileged in healthcare all of his life ‘a liar.’ I think that’s inappropriate,” he added.
“If you’re worried about healthcare for people, then you need to change where we’re going because Obamacare is collapsing,” said Graham. “I don’t like the idea of calling this good man a liar without ever talking to him first. That says more about Mr. Kimmel than it does about Dr. Cassidy.”
Watch Cassidy and Graham defend the GOP healthcare bill above.