COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that the prosecution of former President Donald Trump will only garner him further support from South Carolina Republicans.

Trump was indicted by a Manhattan DA on 34 felony counts related to alleged hush money payments he orchestrated to prevent negative information from leaking during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Graham said that the “very legally-unsound and politically-motivated” arrest of the former president “will create a backlash in South Carolina.”

According to Graham, the arrest will help President Trump win the Republican Primary in South Carolina.

“He is stronger today than he was yesterday,” Graham said. “People in South Carolina, even those who don’t like President Trump, see this as a politically-motivated prosecution. So from a campaign point of view, the actions of the New York Manhattan District Attorney have enormously helped President Trump in South Carolina.”

Graham acknowledged that there are several great candidates in the Republican primary, including former South Carolina governor and Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. He said that he will support whoever the candidate is, but at this point, his support is behind Trump.

Governor Henry McMaster also issued a statement, which Graham read aloud: “After four years as US Attorney and eight years as Attorney General, I’ve never seen such outrageous conduct as that of this prosecutor. All this does is shake the public’s confidence in our justice system. It makes it as important as ever that we should stand behind President Trump against this outrageous political prosecution.”

Graham said “the road to the White House runs through South Carolina, and the actions of the Manhattan DA made the road a lot wider for President Trump.”

He encouraged anyone who is able to send donations to Trump’s campaign, saying Trump should not be expected to self-fund because those prosecuting him are trying to “bleed him dry” with legal fees.

Trump’s team has also seized on the indictment as a fundraising platform.