Graham defends not using email

Sen. Lindsey Graham is defending his decision not to use email, arguing it won’t hurt his ability to lead the country should he run for the White House in 2016.

The South Carolina Republican revealed on Sunday NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he’s never sent an email, drawing snickering online. In a follow-up interview, Graham told Bloomberg News his avoidance of email reflects his preference for dealing with people in person.

{mosads}“The way I communicate is that I talk to people face to face, I’ll pick up the phone. I think the best thing is … to go to the Mideast, not email about the Mideast, not be told about the Mideast, but get on the ground,” he said.

“The next president of the United States needs to be good with people, not just technology. And I think I’m good with people.” 

Graham said he is glad he does not have the ability to say everything that comes to mind instantly. The lack of an email account, Graham said, also prevents him from having to respond to every small crisis throughout the day.  

“What I do, basically, is that I’ve got iPads, and I play around,” Graham said. “But I don’t email. I’ve tried not to have a system where I can just say the first dumb thing that comes to my mind.”

The South Carolina senator, who is considering a run for the White House, was in New Hampshire over the weekend. The email question first arose when he was asked about the controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of a personal email account during her time at the State Department. 

“I don’t email,” he told “Meet the Press” about the ubiquitous technology. “You can have every email I’ve ever sent. I’ve never sent one. I don’t know what that makes me.”