Major Controversies Surrounding Lindsey Graham: A Detailed Timeline

Public opinion and media debates around Lindsey Graham—discover key moments of controversy.

Lindsey Graham is an American politician and attorney who has served as a U.S. Senator for South Carolina since 2003. A prominent member of the Republican Party, he held the position of Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2021. Graham's career has been marked by his involvement in numerous legislative debates and his influence within the Republican Party.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

November 1997: Co-sponsored Impeachment Resolution

In November 1997, Lindsey Graham co-sponsored a resolution by Bob Barr that sought to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Bill Clinton, which predated the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.

October 8, 1998: Voted in Favor of Impeachment Inquiry

On October 8, 1998, Lindsey Graham voted in favor of legislation to open an impeachment inquiry into President Bill Clinton.

1998: Controversy over Military Record

In 1998, The Hill newspaper reported on a controversy regarding Lindsey Graham describing himself as an Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran on his website; Graham clarified that he had not claimed to be a combatant or war hero.

1998: Graham cites Nixon during Clinton impeachment

In December 2019, Democrats referenced statements Lindsey Graham made during the 1998 impeachment of Bill Clinton, including his citation of Richard Nixon.

November 2005: Amendment to DOD Authorization Act Passed

In November 2005, an amendment to a Department of Defense Authorization Act authored by Lindsey Graham was passed in the Senate, attempting to clarify the authority of American courts, following a June 2004 Supreme Court decision.

2006: Voted to support constitutional amendment opposing same-sex marriage

In 2006, Graham voted in favor of a constitutional amendment to oppose same-sex marriage, stating his belief in the traditional definition of marriage and the necessity of the amendment to prevent judges from creating a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

2006: Support of McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Bill

In 2006, Lindsey Graham supported S. 2611, the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Bill, earning him the ire of conservative activists.

2006: Ruling Set Aside

In 2006, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces set aside a lower court's ruling that had determined Graham's service as a military judge while a sitting member of the Senate was acceptable, concluding it was improper.

2007: Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act

In 2007, Lindsey Graham was a supporter of S. 1348, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act.

May 2009: Comments on Domestic Internment

In May 2009, during a CNN interview, Lindsey Graham cited the domestic internment of German and Japanese prisoners of war and U.S. Citizens during World War II as a model for domestic detention of Guantanamo detainees.

June 2010: Stated that the science about global warming has changed

In June 2010, Graham stated that the science about global warming had changed and that he believed it had been oversold. He also announced plans to vote against the climate bill he had originally co-sponsored, citing offshore drilling restrictions.

July 2010: Suggested Amendment to Birthright Citizenship

In July 2010, Lindsey Graham suggested that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing birthright citizenship, should be amended, and that children born to illegal immigrants in the United States should be considered illegal immigrants.

2010: Thornton Law Firm's campaign contributions

Between 2010 and 2014, partners from the Thornton Law Firm, known for asbestos-related litigation, and one of their wives, contributed $1.6 million to politicians, with $1.4 million being reimbursed to the partners by the firm.

April 3, 2011: Comments on Limiting Freedom of Speech

On April 3, 2011, during an appearance on Face the Nation, Lindsey Graham suggested that Congress should take action against the Koran-burning by Florida preacher Terry Jones, arguing for potential limits on freedom of speech in wartime.

January 29, 2013: Accused Hillary Clinton of "getting away with murder"

On January 29, 2013, Graham stated that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "got away with murder" after her testimony about the 2012 Benghazi attack.

2013: Support for NSA Phone Record Collection

In 2013, in response to disclosures about the United States National Security Agency and its international partners' global surveillance, Lindsey Graham expressed support for the NSA collecting phone records, stating that he was a Verizon customer and did not mind the government accessing records to identify potential terrorist connections.

2014: Thornton Law Firm's campaign contributions

June 17, 2015: Graham responds to Charleston church shooting

After a mass shooting at a historic African American church in Charleston on June 17, 2015, Lindsey Graham suspended campaign events and returned to South Carolina. He addressed the controversy surrounding the Confederate flag at the State Capitol, acknowledging its multiple interpretations and emphasized the shooter's personal responsibility for the crime.

July 2015: Called Donald Trump a "jackass"

In July 2015, as a presidential candidate, Lindsey Graham called Donald Trump a "jackass" for his comments about John McCain. Trump responded by calling Graham an "idiot" and revealing Graham's personal cellphone number at a campaign rally.

December 2015: Called Trump a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot"

In December 2015, Lindsey Graham responded to Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States by calling him a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot."

2015: Graham and Trump conflict

In 2015, Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump had a conflict.

May 2016: Criticized Trump on Twitter

In May 2016, Lindsey Graham tweeted, "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed...and we will deserve it."

June 2016: Criticized Trump's comments on Judge

In June 2016, after Trump criticized a judge of Mexican heritage, Lindsey Graham said Trump was "playing the race card" and that people needed to reconsider the future of the Republican party.

2016: Report on Graham's campaign contributions from Thornton Law Firm

In 2016, The Boston Globe reported that Lindsey Graham was the only Republican recipient of money from a major Democratic donor, the Thornton Law Firm, which was under scrutiny for questionable campaign donation practices.

2016: Republicans boycott Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland

In 2016, after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died, Republican senators boycotted Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland and Lindsey Graham said that Supreme Court vacancies should never be filled in a presidential election year.

2016: Investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election

In January 2018, Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley recommended charges against former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, who was identified as the author of the Steele dossier, in connection with the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. They believed Steele had lied to federal authorities.

2016: Critic of Donald Trump's Candidacy

Throughout 2016, Lindsey Graham was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump's presidential candidacy, particularly Trump's comments on John McCain.

January 2018: Graham recommends charges against Christopher Steele

August 2018: Graham defends Trump against racism accusations

Earlier in August 2018, The Washington Post reported that Lindsey Graham had said he had never heard Donald Trump make a single racist statement.

October 2018: Graham comments on Supreme Court vacancies

In an October 2018 interview, Lindsey Graham said that if an opening comes in the last year of President Trump's term, and the primary process has started, they'll wait till the next election.

2018: Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings

In 2018, during Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Lindsey Graham opposed delaying the process due to Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegations. Graham doubted Ford's recollection of the alleged assault by Kavanaugh.

May 14, 2019: Graham encourages Donald Trump Jr. to ignore subpoena

On May 14, 2019, Lindsey Graham faced scrutiny for encouraging Donald Trump Jr. to ignore a subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee.

July 2019: Graham defends Trump against racism accusations

In July 2019, Lindsey Graham defended Donald Trump against accusations of racism regarding statements made about Democratic congresswomen.

July 2019: Visit to Migrant Detention Center in Texas

In July 2019, Lindsey Graham visited a migrant detention center in Texas. He described it as an "overwhelmed facility" rather than a "concentration camp" and stated he did not care if migrants had to stay in such facilities for 400 days.

November 2019: Graham blocks Senate resolution on Armenian genocide

In November 2019, Lindsey Graham initially blocked a Senate resolution aimed at officially recognizing the Armenian genocide, a move that drew attention and criticism.

December 2019: Graham signals his mind is made up on impeachment

In December 2019, as impeachment articles against Donald Trump moved forward, Lindsey Graham signaled his opposition to the impeachment, stating he was not trying to be a fair juror and wanted to make the trial die quickly.

September 2020: Support for Immediate Vote on Supreme Court Nominee

In September 2020, following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Lindsey Graham expressed support for the Senate immediately voting on Trump's nominee to succeed her, a stance The New York Times called a reversal of his earlier position.

2020: Graham denies Biden's Victory

Even after all major news networks projected that Joe Biden had won the 2020 United States presidential election, Lindsey Graham said that Donald Trump "should not concede" and donated $500,000 to Trump's election lawsuits.

2020: Graham calls for investigation of voting irregularities

In 2020, after receiving an affidavit alleging backdating mail ballots, Lindsey Graham issued a statement that "all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct be investigated to ensure the integrity of the 2020 elections."

2020: Graham calls Georgia Secretary of State about vote counting

In 2020, while a recount was ongoing in Georgia, Lindsey Graham called the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, to discuss the vote counting process.

January 6, 2021: Graham rejects Trump's election denials

On January 6, 2021, after Trump supporters attacked the Capitol, Lindsey Graham disagreed with his Republican colleagues and acknowledged that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were lawfully elected.

February 2021: DA examines Graham's call to Raffensperger

In February 2021, The Washington Post reported that Fani Willis, the Fulton County, Georgia district attorney, was examining Lindsey Graham's phone call to Brad Raffensperger as part of a criminal investigation.

May 28, 2021: Graham votes against January 6 commission

On May 28, 2021, Lindsey Graham voted against creating the January 6 commission.

July 8, 2021: Called Biden's decision a "disaster in the making"

On July 8, 2021, Graham criticized Joe Biden's decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, originally agreed to by the Trump administration, calling it a "disaster in the making" and predicting it would put the U.S. in danger and potentially lead to another 9/11.

August 2021: Graham calls Biden after the election

In August 2021, The New York Times reported that Lindsey Graham called Joe Biden days after the election and told Biden he had called for a special counsel investigation of Biden's son Hunter during the campaign.

March 3, 2022: Suggested that someone in Russia assassinate Putin

On March 3, 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Graham tweeted suggesting that someone in Russia should assassinate Vladimir Putin, which drew backlash from other politicians.

August 2022: Argued states should decide the issue of marriage

In August 2022, after the House approved a bill recognizing same-sex marriages at the federal level, Graham stated that individual states should have the authority to decide the issue of marriage and opposed federal intervention in defining marriage.

September 2022: Introduced Federal Ban on Abortion After 15 Weeks

In September 2022, despite previous statements that abortion should be a states' rights issue, Lindsey Graham introduced legislation to institute a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the patient.

May 26, 2023: Made comments about the war

On May 26, 2023, an edited video released by the Office of the President of Ukraine showed Graham commenting to Volodymyr Zelenskyy that "the Russians are dying" and that American military assistance to Ukraine was the "best money we've ever spent", which led to criticism before the full, unedited interview was released.

May 29, 2023: Russian Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Graham

On May 29, 2023, the Russian Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Graham due to his comments about the war. Graham responded by stating that he would wear the arrest warrant as a "Badge of Honor" and would submit to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if Russia attempted to serve the warrant.

October 10, 2023: Stood with Israel during the Gaza war

On October 10, 2023, Graham stated that he "unapologetically stand[s] with Israel" during the Gaza war, calling the conflict a "religious war" and suggesting that Gaza should be "flattened".

October 31, 2023: Stated that civilian casualties in Gaza would not lead him to question Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas

On October 31, 2023, Graham stated that no amount of civilian casualties in Gaza would lead him to question Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas.

March 9, 2024: Called for destruction of Palestinian school system

On March 9, 2024, Graham said that Palestinian children had been taught to kill all the Jews and somebody needs to pull the Palestinian school system up by its roots and destroy it.

April 2024: Graham criticizes Trump on abortion

In April 2024, Lindsey Graham criticized Donald Trump for not supporting a federal abortion ban. Trump expressed regret for endorsing Graham in his 2020 Senate campaign.

May 8, 2024: Warned against halting arms supply to Israel and made controversial comments

On May 8, 2024, Graham warned the Pentagon against halting arms supply to Israel during the Gaza war, stating, "Give Israel what they need to fight the war they can't afford to lose. This is Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids." This statement caused a debate in the Japanese National Diet.

September 2024: Graham lobbies for winner-take-all electoral system in Nebraska

In September 2024, Lindsey Graham lobbied Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen to call a special session to adopt a winner-take-all system for Electoral College votes.

October 2024: Graham criticizes Harris and Biden's immigration policy

In October 2024, Lindsey Graham criticized Kamala Harris as the "most radical nominee" and argued that the Biden-Harris immigration policy was a larger "danger to this country" than Trump's rhetoric.

January 2025: Graham criticizes Trump's actions as president

In January 2025, Lindsey Graham took issue with a series of Donald Trump's first actions as president, including pardons for January 6 attackers, removing security details, and firing Inspectors General.

June 1, 2025: Commented on Greta Thunberg's trip to Gaza

On June 1, 2025, in response to Greta Thunberg traveling on a ship bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza, Graham wrote on X: "Hope Greta and her friends can swim!"