South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham passed away this weekend. I imagine most people will remember him as the guy who was always willing to put the final lick-polish on Donald Trump’s jackboots. But for me, the image of him screaming, gesticulating, and spitting in defense of an alleged attempted rapist is the one that will always be indelible in my hippocampus. (...) You see, to justify their cowardice, the Republicans planned to let Mitchell question both Ford and Kavanaugh. Republican chairman Charles Grassley allowed her to question Kavanaugh during his time, but when Graham’s turn arrived next, he refused to let Mitchell continue her questioning (which was not helping Kavanaugh in the slightest). Instead, he butted in, dispensed with Mitchell, and unleashed a tirade. He screamed, he spat, he acted like Brett Kavanaugh had been victimized by the entire process. (...) When I think of Graham I think of a weak kid who suddenly gets emboldened when he finds his father’s handgun. He had no real power of his own but he knew how to use the power of others to its most brutal and devastating effect. Lindsey Graham was not the worst Republican. He was just the worst version of himself.
- Elie Mystal, Lindsey Graham’s Defense of Brett Kavanaugh Told Us Everything, The Nation, July 14, 2026 (x)
