Major Controversies Surrounding Lindsey Graham: A Detailed Timeline
Public opinion and media debates around Lindsey Graham—discover key moments of controversy.
Lindsey Graham is a prominent American politician currently serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina since 2003. A Republican, his career includes prior service as an Air Force veteran and chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2021. He is a key figure in American politics.
November 1997: Co-sponsored resolution to launch impeachment inquiry
In November 1997, Graham co-sponsored a resolution by Bob Barr that sought to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Bill Clinton.
October 8, 1998: Voted in favor of legislation to open impeachment inquiry
On October 8, 1998, Graham voted in favor of legislation to open an impeachment inquiry against President Bill Clinton.
1998: Dispute Over Military Record
In 1998, The Hill newspaper questioned Graham's description of himself as a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran on his website, which he denied.
1998: Graham's past impeachment statements
In December 2019, Democrats referenced statements Graham made during the 1998 impeachment of Bill Clinton.
2002: Graham Votes for Iraq Resolution
In 2002, Lindsey Graham voted for the Iraq Resolution, authorizing military action against Iraq.
June 2004: U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing detainees to file habeas corpus petitions
Lindsey Graham authored an amendment to a Department of Defense Authorization Act attempting to clarify the authority of American courts. The amendment passed in November 2005.
November 2005: Amendment to Department of Defense Authorization Act
In response to a June 2004 Supreme Court decision, Lindsey Graham authored an amendment to a Department of Defense Authorization Act attempting to clarify the authority of American courts, which passed in November 2005.
2006: Court Ruling on Military Judge Service
In 2006, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces set aside a lower court's ruling, concluding it was improper for Graham to serve as a military judge while a senator.
May 2009: Domestic Internment as a Model
In a May 2009 CNN interview, Lindsey Graham suggested the domestic internment of German and Japanese prisoners of war and U.S. Citizens as a model for domestic detention of Guantanamo detainees.
June 2010: Graham Questions Global Warming Science
In June 2010, Lindsey Graham stated that the "science about global warming has changed" and that he planned to vote against the climate bill he had originally co-sponsored.
July 2010: Suggestion to Amend Birthright Citizenship
In July 2010, Lindsey Graham suggested amending the 14th Amendment to deny U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants in the United States.
November 6, 2010: Graham Calls for Preemptive Strike on Iran
On November 6, 2010, Lindsey Graham called for a preemptive military strike to weaken the Iranian regime.
2010: Thornton Law Firm partners contributed to Graham's campaign
In 2010, the Thornton Law Firm's partners contributed to Lindsey Graham's campaign, which was later reimbursed by the firm.
April 3, 2011: Suggestion to Limit Freedom of Speech
On April 3, 2011, Lindsey Graham suggested that Congress take formal action against the Koran-burning by Terry Jones and explore limiting some forms of freedom of speech, citing wartime restrictions.
2012: Benghazi Attack
On January 29, 2013, Lindsey Graham said that Hillary Clinton "got away with murder" after her testimony about the 2012 Benghazi attack.
January 29, 2013: Graham Criticizes Clinton on Benghazi
On January 29, 2013, Lindsey Graham said that 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 NSA's surveillance programs, Lindsey Graham expressed his support for the NSA collecting phone records, stating he was "glad" it was happening.
2014: Thornton Law Firm partners contributed to Graham's campaign
In 2014, the Thornton Law Firm's partners contributed to Lindsey Graham's campaign, which was later reimbursed by the firm.
June 17, 2015: Graham responds to Charleston church shooting
On June 17, 2015, after the mass shooting at a historic African American church in Charleston, Lindsey Graham canceled campaign events and addressed the Confederate flag issue, stating it was time for South Carolina to revisit its decision regarding the flag.
July 2015: Called Trump a "jackass"
In July 2015, Graham, as a presidential candidate, called Donald Trump a "jackass" for comments about John McCain, leading to a public dispute.
December 2015: Criticized Trump's proposed Muslim ban
In December 2015, Graham strongly criticized Donald Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
2015: Graham and Trump Conflict
In 2015, Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump had conflicts that were later referenced by Graham in March 2017.
2015: Graham Acknowledges Climate Change Reality
In 2015, Lindsey Graham stated he "completely understand[s] and accept[s]" that climate change is real, but questioned the role of human activity.
February 2016: Graham calls Trump a 'kook'
In February 2016, Lindsey Graham described Donald Trump as a "kook" and "crazy," deeming him unfit for office.
May 2016: Graham will not vote for Trump or Clinton
In May 2016, after Donald Trump appeared certain to become the Republican nominee, Lindsey Graham announced he would not vote for either Trump or Hillary Clinton.
June 2016: Graham criticizes Trump's remarks about a judge
In June 2016, Lindsey Graham criticized Donald Trump's remarks about a judge of Mexican heritage, stating that Trump was "playing the race card" and that it was "very un-American." He suggested that Republicans should reconsider their support for Trump if he continued such attacks.
2016: Russian interference in the 2016 election
In 2016, Lindsey Graham was involved in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
2016: Graham's stance on filling Supreme Court vacancies
In 2016, after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died, Republican senators boycotted Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland. Graham said that Supreme Court vacancies should never be filled in a presidential election year.
2016: Graham received campaign contributions from Thornton Law Firm
In 2016, it was reported that Lindsey Graham was the only Republican recipient of money from the Thornton Law Firm, a major Democratic donor facing scrutiny for questionable campaign donation habits.
2016: Earlier stance
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, a reversal of his earlier stance.
January 2018: Graham recommends charges against Christopher Steele
In January 2018, Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley recommended charges against ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele, who was named as the author of the Steele dossier, for allegedly lying to federal authorities.
August 2018: Graham claims he has never heard Trump make racist statements
In August 2018, Lindsey Graham stated that he had never heard Donald Trump make a single racist statement.
October 2018: Graham on Supreme Court vacancies during Trump's term
In October 2018, Lindsey Graham stated that if a Supreme Court opening occurred in the last year of President Trump's term, and the primary process had started, they would wait until the next election to fill it.
2018: Strong Stance on Kavanaugh Confirmation
In 2018, during Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Lindsey Graham opposed delaying the process due to Christine Blasey Ford's allegations of sexual assault, doubting her recollection of the events.
May 14, 2019: Graham faces scrutiny for encouraging Trump Jr. to ignore subpoena
On May 14, 2019, Lindsey Graham faced scrutiny, including from Senator Joe Manchin, after encouraging Donald Trump Jr. to ignore a subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee.
May 2019: Graham Calls for Military Invasion of Venezuela
In May 2019, Lindsey Graham called for a military invasion of Venezuela to overthrow Nicolás Maduro amid the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis.
May 2019: Proposed New Immigration Laws
In May 2019, Lindsey Graham proposed new immigration laws to restrict asylum applications and expedite deportations of unaccompanied children.
June 25, 2019: Graham defends Trump's cooperation with Mueller investigation
On June 25, 2019, Lindsey Graham asserted that President Trump fully cooperated with the Mueller investigation, providing documents and access to personnel.
July 2019: Graham defends Trump against racism accusations
In July 2019, Lindsey Graham defended Donald Trump against accusations of racism, stating that he did not believe Trump's remarks about Democratic congresswomen were racist.
July 2019: Visit to Migrant Detention Center
In July 2019, Lindsey Graham visited a migrant detention center in Texas and stated it was "a facility overwhelmed", not "a concentration camp", and expressed his determination to keep certain migrants detained.
July 24, 2019: Graham questions the Mueller report
On July 24, 2019, after Robert Mueller's testimony to congressional committees, Lindsey Graham speculated that the Mueller report was "in name only."
October 8, 2019: Graham condemns Trump's Syria troop withdrawal
On October 8, 2019, Lindsey Graham condemned Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, stating that it put the nation and his presidency at risk and lacked support from key national security advisors.
November 2019: Graham Blocks Armenian Genocide Resolution
In November 2019, Lindsey Graham initially blocked a Senate resolution to officially recognize the Armenian genocide.
December 2019: Graham signals his decision on Trump's impeachment
In December 2019, as articles of impeachment against Trump moved to a vote, Lindsey Graham signaled that he had already made up his mind and would do everything he could to ensure the impeachment died quickly in the Senate.
September 2020: Support for Immediate Vote on Ginsburg's Successor
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, a reversal of his earlier stance.
2020: Graham supports challenging election results
After major news networks projected Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election, Lindsey Graham said that Donald Trump "should not concede" and suggested invalidating election results.
2020: Graham's call to Georgia Secretary of State
During the recount of the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia, Lindsey Graham called the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, to discuss the vote counting process, raising concerns about potential disqualification of mail-in ballots.
2020: Graham calls for investigation of voting irregularities
In 2020, Lindsey Graham issued a statement that "all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct be investigated to ensure the integrity of the 2020 elections", including an affidavit by Pennsylvania postal worker Richard Hopkins, which was later called into question.
February 2021: Investigation into Graham's call to Raffensperger
In February 2021, it was 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 into possible efforts to illegally overturn Georgia's election results.
July 8, 2021: Graham Calls Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal a "Disaster"
On July 8, 2021, Lindsey Graham criticized President Biden's plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, calling it a "disaster in the making."
August 2021: Report on Graham's call to Biden after election
In August 2021, The New York Times reported that Lindsey Graham called Joe Biden after the election, allegedly saying he had called for a special counsel investigation of Biden's son only to appease Trump supporters.
March 3, 2022: Graham Suggests Putin Assassination
On March 3, 2022, Lindsey Graham tweeted that "the only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out", referring to Vladimir Putin, sparking controversy.
August 2022: Graham on Same-Sex Marriage
In August 2022, Lindsey Graham stated that individual "states should 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, 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: Edited Video of Graham Sparks Controversy
On May 26, 2023, an edited video of Lindsey Graham speaking to Volodymyr Zelenskyy was released, leading to criticism and a subsequent release of the unedited version.
May 29, 2023: Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Graham
On May 29, 2023, the Russian Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Lindsey Graham due to his comments about the war, which Graham responded to with "immense joy".
March 9, 2024: Graham Calls for Destruction of Palestinian School System
On March 9, 2024, Lindsey Graham claimed that Palestinian children are being taught to kill Jews and called for the destruction of the Palestinian school system.
April 2024: Graham criticizes Trump on abortion ban; Trump regrets endorsing Graham
In April 2024, Lindsey Graham criticized Donald Trump for not supporting a federal abortion ban. In response, Trump expressed regret for endorsing Graham in his 2020 Senate campaign.
September 2024: Graham lobbies for Nebraska electoral vote change
In September 2024, Lindsey Graham lobbied Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen to call a special session to adopt a winner-take-all electoral vote system in order to prevent Kamala Harris from receiving the state's one electoral college vote typically won by Democrats.
October 2024: Graham criticizes Harris and Biden's immigration policy
In October 2024, Lindsey Graham said Republican voters who supported Harris were supporting "the most radical nominee in history of American politics" and argued that the Biden-Harris immigration policy was a larger "danger to this country" than Trump's rhetoric.
January 2025: Graham disagrees with some of Trump's first actions as president
In January 2025, Lindsey Graham took issue with several of Donald Trump's first actions as president, including pardons for January 6 defendants, removing security details for former officials, and firing Inspectors General.
