Graham blames Trump’s staff for scuttling deal

WASHINGTON – Sen. Lindsey Graham is blaming President Donald Trump’s staff for the president’s about-face on immigration that appeared to scuttle a compromise deal to protect from deportation young people brought to the U.S. as children and living here illegally.

In a hearing Tuesday, Graham said Trump had reversed course, expressing openness on an immigration deal early last Thursday, only to reject it hours later.

Graham says, “I think somebody on his staff gave him really bad advice between 10 o’clock to 12 o’clock on Thursday.”

The South Carolina Republican says White House chief of staff John Kelly is “a fine man, but he’s part of the staff.”

Trump met Thursday with Graham and other key lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. Durbin says Trump used a vulgarity disparaging African countries.