THE LINDSEY GRAHAM SWINDLE: How South Carolina's Senator Became the Nation's Most Expensive Double Agent

 

By Staff Writer

If you've ever wondered how the Uniparty survives election after election, look no further than Lindsey Graham. He's the living embodiment of the Washington shell game, talk like a conservative when the cameras are on, vote like a Democrat when the gavel drops, and position yourself so that no matter who's in the White House, your phone rings.

The numbers are damning. In 2023, Graham voted with Joe Biden over 50% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight's congressional score tracker placing him alongside Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski as the Senate Republicans most likely to cross the aisle. His defense? He believes presidents deserve broad deference on nominees. Translation: when a Democrat occupies the Oval Office, Lindsey Graham becomes a rubber stamp with a South Carolina accent.

Meanwhile, the worst congressman ever the kind Graham's allies love to smear clocked in at 1.8%. That's not a gap. That's a chasm between someone who represents his voters and someone who represents the Acela corridor cocktail circuit.

The Ukraine Sabotage: June 2025

In late May and early June of this year, while President Trump was actively working to bring the Ukraine-Russia war to a negotiated end, Lindsey Graham boarded a plane to Kyiv with Democrat Richard Blumenthal a man whose credibility on foreign policy is roughly equivalent to a gas station sushi platter.

What followed was a masterclass in deep state sabotage dressed up as bipartisanship:

May 30, 2025: Graham and Blumenthal meet with Zelensky in Kyiv, touring missile strike sites and posing for photos while peace talks with Russia were scheduled to resume in Istanbul on June 2.

June 2, 2025: The Istanbul peace talks collapse. Zelensky's own office admitted Russia hadn't even submitted a negotiating agenda. But Graham wasn't in Istanbul urging compromise he was in Paris, standing next to Emmanuel Macron, telling the Associated Press that Putin was "preparing for more war" and pushing his sanctions sledgehammer bill.

The Sledgehammer: Graham's sanctions legislation co-sponsored with Blumenthal and backed by 82 to 85 senators threatened 500% tariffs on any country buying Russian oil, explicitly targeting China, India, and Brazil. This wasn't a negotiation tool. This was a declaration of economic war designed to make any peace deal impossible.

Graham claimed he'd talked to President Trump before his trip and that Trump expected concrete action. But the timeline tells a different story. Trump had spent months trying to bring Putin to the table. Graham flew into the middle of active negotiations, held a press conference with one of the Senate's most notorious hawks and prevaricators, and announced the diplomatic equivalent of burning the table down. The Istanbul talks failed within 48 hours.

The American people were promised an end to the Ukraine war. Lindsey Graham made sure that promise couldn't be kept then went on CBS's Face the Nation in July to boast about it.

If Ukraine is Graham's long con, Iran is his true religion. Throughout 2025, Graham positioned himself as the loudest voice demanding military confrontation with Tehran.

May 8, 2025: Graham and Tom Cotton held a press conference declaring that anything short of complete dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program was unacceptable. His exact words. If negotiations and diplomacy fail, we need to go to Plan B, and Plan B would be a military strike.

June 2025: When Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and the region teetered on full scale war, Graham went on Fox News with Sean Hannity and called for Trump to go all in providing American bombs, American planes, and joint operations. He openly mused: Wouldn't the world be better off if the Ayatollahs went away?

June 24, 2025: On the Senate floor, Graham delivered a speech praising Operation Midnight Hammer the U.S. strikes on Iran as brilliant and bold, declaring it would live in history.

The US launched its war against Iran in March 2026. Graham spent the preceding year laying the rhetorical groundwork, ensuring that when the moment came, the peace president would have no choice but to escalate. The man who claims to support Trump spent 2025 methodically boxing him into a corner where war became the only option.

This isn't new behavior. Lindsey Graham has been knifing the America First agenda since before it had a name.

Years of Betrayal.

2015-2016

Called Trump a bigot, criticized the Muslim ban, and said the GOP would be destroyed if Trump were nominated.

January 6, 2021

Walked onto the Senate floor and screamed I'M OUT! publicly abandoning Trump and the election integrity effort.

2023

Voted with Joe Biden over 50% of the time, rubber-stamping Biden's judicial and executive nominees.

2025

Sabotaged Trump's Ukraine peace negotiations by flying to Kyiv with Blumenthal days before Istanbul talks.

2025

Pushed for all in military support for Israel's strikes on Iran, demanding regime change.

2025

Boasted at the Jerusalem Religious Council about killing all the right people met with thunderous applause.

Graham's playbook is transparent, publicly claim to support Trump while working behind the scenes to ensure the foreign policy blob gets everything it wants. He's the human embodiment of the revolving door between the defense industry, the intelligence community, and Capitol Hill.

South Carolina is one of the most conservative states in the union. Its voters have sent the same man back to the Senate since 2003 and what do they have to show for it?

A senator who votes with Democrats more than half the time

A senator who has never met a war he didn't want to escalate

A senator who treats Fox News green rooms as his primary workplace

A senator whose foreign policy is indistinguishable from the late John McCain's just with more hair product and a busier brunch schedule

Graham's 2023 Biden-agreement score of over 50% means South Carolina effectively had a third of a Democratic senator. The only reason he's survived this long is that he's mastered the art of saying just enough conservative-sounding things on cable news to keep primary challengers at bay while governing like a member of the permanent Washington ruling class.

Lindsey Graham isn't a Republican. He's not a Democrat. He's something worse: a Uniparty creature who serves one constituency and one constituency only the institutional blob that profits from endless war, open borders, and the administrative state.

His Ukraine stunt in June 2025 was the clearest example yet. Trump was on the verge of delivering what he'd promised: an end to the bloodshed. Graham couldn't allow that. So he flew to a war zone with one of the most dishonest men in the Senate, held press conferences designed to sabotage negotiations, and then came home to brag about his "bipartisan" sanctions bill on national television.

The peace talks failed. The funding continued. The stalemate grinds on. And Lindsey Graham is still there, still on TV, still pretending he's on Trump's side while ensuring the war machine never runs out of fuel.

No matter who you vote for, you get a gay war or a holy war. But Lindsey Graham ensures you get both.

That's not just a clever line it's the man's entire career in one sentence. He's the senator who will weep on television about the troops while voting to send more of them into harm's way. He'll call Trump a bigot one year and claim to be his closest ally the next. He'll promise to drain the swamp while swimming in it.

South Carolina can do better. The nation needs better. Lindsey Graham is John McCain's foreign policy with none of the war hero credentials, wrapped in a Fox News contributor contract and accessorized with a permanent reservation at the worst table in Washington.

The question isn't whether Graham has betrayed Trump and his voters that's been settled for a decade. The question is why anyone still takes his calls.

A vote for Lindsey Graham is a vote to keep South Carolina in the grip of a man who hasn't represented your values in decades it's a vote for more war, more betrayal, and more of the same Uniparty rot that's been hollowing out this country while he collects his cable news checks and brunches his way through the DC circuit. You pull the lever for Lindsey, you're not getting a senator you're getting a double agent in a flag pin who'll smile in your face and stab Trump in the back before the ink on your ballot dries. South Carolina deserves a fighter. The nation deserves a senator who doesn't need a Democrat chaperone to undermine American foreign policy. Lindsey Graham has made his choice, again and again. It's time South Carolina makes theirs.

Sources:

Lindsey Graham Ukraine trip June 2025 peace talks sabotage

President Meets with U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal — Official website of the President of Ukraine archive.phLindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal meet with Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine thehill.comUS senators meet with Zelensky in Kyiv as doubt cast over upcoming Ukraine-Russia peace talks - AOL aol.com

Searched for Lindsey Graham Blumenthal Ukraine TV threats Trump peace deal

Transcript: Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," July 13, 2025 - CBS News cbsnews.com

Sen. Lindsey Graham says "a turning point regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine is coming" youtube.com

Putin 'is preparing for more war,' GOP senator warns after meeting with Zelenskyy and Macron | PBS News pbs.org

Searched for Lindsey Graham Iran war hawks 2025

Iran Hawks Graham, Cotton Draw Red Line for Deal: No Nuke Program for Tehran - The Daily Signal dailysignal.com

Lindsey Graham Wants Trump to Go ‘All In’ on Iran as Security Council Meets - Newsweek newsweek.com

ICYMI: Graham Floor Speech on the Israel-Iran Conflict lgraham.senate.gov

Searched for Lindsey Graham voting record with Biden 2023 percentage

How often every member of Congress voted with Biden in 2023 - ABC News web.archive.org

How often every member of Congress voted with Biden in 2023 abcnews.com

data/congress-biden-score at master · fivethirtyeight/data · GitHub github.com

Should an Industry-Friendly Rider in the Farm Bill Override Over 1,000 State Laws?

 The 2026 Farm Bill, also known as the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, contains a controversial provision known as the “Save Our Bacon” Act. This provision threatens to eliminate state laws governing meat production and distribution. It has significant implications for local control over agriculture and food safety.

1. Overview of the Farm Bill:

• The Farm Bill was passed by the House on April 30, 2026, and is moving to the Senate.

• The Save Our Bacon Act (SOB) within the bill aims to centralize agricultural policy, overriding more than 1,000 existing state laws.

2. Objectives of the Save Our Bacon Act:

• The Act intends to enable the free movement of meat across state lines without restrictions based on state regulations.

• It encourages a uniform national market, suggesting that states cannot enforce different food safety or animal welfare standards.

3. Impact on State Laws:

• If passed, the Act would invalidate state laws that set standards for humane animal treatment or food safety, which could lead to the sale of meat from conditions deemed unacceptable by some states.

4. Background and Motivation:

• The bill is a reaction to California's Proposition 12, which established minimum space requirements for livestock. This initiative has influenced farmers nationwide to adopt similar standards.

• Supporters of the Act argue it prevents a fragmented regulatory system, claiming that it would enhance efficiency and lower costs for businesses.

5. Constitutional and Political Implications:

• The debate centers not just on agricultural practices but on the balance of power between state and federal governments.

• The Supreme Court previously upheld Proposition 12, asserting states’ rights to regulate products sold within their borders.

6. Opposition and Support:

• Resistance to the Act is rooted in concerns that it would consolidate agricultural power in the hands of large corporations, diminishing local governance.

• Proponents assert that uniform national regulations are essential for a functioning free market.

7. Long-Term Consequences:

• Passage of the Save Our Bacon Act could set a precedent allowing federal policies to override state laws across various sectors, not limited to agriculture.

• It raises questions about the future of local governance and the ability of communities to legislate based on their values and needs.

8. Democratic Process Concerns:

• Proposition 12 was enacted through a voter initiative, representing democratic decision-making. The Farm Bill’s provisions may undermine this form of self-governance by overriding citizen-approved standards.

9. Market Dynamics:

• The Act could further entrench monopolistic practices in agriculture, making small and medium-sized farmers less competitive and dependent on large corporate producers.

The Save Our Bacon Act poses a significant challenge to state authority and local governance by proposing sweeping federal regulations on agricultural practices. This potential shift could change how food safety and animal welfare are managed across the country, raising concerns among advocates for states’ rights and local decision-making. Given these implications, it is crucial for citizens to engage with their representatives about these issues before the final Farm Bill is confirmed.

https://brownstone.org/articles/should-an-industry-friendly-rider-in-the-farm-bill-override-over-1000-state-laws/

Media Caught in Another Lie

Recent reports suggested that E. Jean Carroll, who accused former President Trump of sexual assault, was under investigation for perjury related to her civil lawsuits. However, these claims were quickly refuted by the U. S. Attorney's office in Chicago.

1. Initial Claims: CNN reported that Carroll was the subject of a Department of Justice investigation, alleging she lied about not receiving outside funding for her lawsuits. This funding was reportedly provided by billionaire Reid Hoffman.

2. Media Reaction: Following CNN's report, many media outlets and commentators expressed outrage on their platforms, framing it as part of Trump's retribution against Carroll. Various journalists and Democratic lawmakers joined in the condemnation.

3. Refutation of Claims: U. S. Attorney Andrew Boutros clarified that the investigation was not focused on Carroll, but rather on Reid Hoffman, who had financially supported her lawsuits. Reports of a perjury investigation were deemed inaccurate.

4. Ongoing Issues: There are broader concerns about the integrity of the investigation and the media's role in propagating misinformation. While Carroll’s past statements were questioned, a Democratic panel deemed them irrelevant to the legal case.

5. Media's Responsibility: The situation highlights potential bias within the media and the legal system, questioning whether reports were aimed at damaging the DOJ's reputation or redirecting attention from Hoffman.

The allegations against E. Jean Carroll have been disproven by legal authorities, revealing a potential effort by the media to fabricate a narrative against her. This incident emphasizes the need for responsible reporting and the impact of sensationalism in high-profile cases. 

https://www.declassified.live/p/media-caught-in-another-lie

CBS News Chief Bari Weiss FIRES Far-Left ’60 Minutes’ Executive Producer and Anti-Trump Correspondents

CBS News is undergoing significant changes, particularly at its program, 60 Minutes. Bari Weiss, the new Chief at CBS News, is making moves to restore fairness and diversity of viewpoints in the show's content, which has faced criticism for bias against conservatives and President Trump.

• Leadership Changes: Bari Weiss, who previously left The New York Times due to perceived biases, is now overseeing CBS News. She aims to introduce "actual viewpoint diversity. "

• New Executive Producer: Weiss has appointed Nick Bilton as the new executive producer of 60 Minutes. Bilton is a tech journalist and former New York Times columnist, but he lacks traditional broadcast news experience. His focus will include not just technological change but also restoring public trust.

• Commitment to Fairness: Bilton highlighted the need for fairness in story selection and reporting, referencing the program's long-standing dedication to reporting reality.

• Revamping the Team: Alongside the leadership changes, some senior correspondents, including Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, have also been let go as part of this overhaul.

• Concerns Raised: Before her departure, Alfonsi expressed worries about corporate influence and editorial freedom within CBS News, especially after pushing back on a directive regarding content.

These changes at 60 Minutes reflect a strategic shift aimed at regaining credibility and addressing criticisms of bias. With new leadership focused on fairness, CBS News is entering a new phase, inviting input from its team and considering how to better serve its audience amid evolving media consumption habits. 

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/cbs-news-chief-bari-weiss-fires-far-left/

"Approaching Unheard Of Inventory Levels": Exxon, Chevron Issue Apocalyptic Warning About What Happens Next To Oil

 Recent warnings from major oil executives, including CEOs from Exxon and Chevron, indicate a troubling outlook for global oil inventories and prices. As the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz continues, the market shows signs of stress due to plummeting oil stock levels.

1. Oil Inventory Levels: JPMorgan previously noted that global oil inventories are dangerously low, with upcoming operational limits expected by as soon as June. If conflicts persist, there's concern these levels could further diminish by September.

2. Price Trends: Despite falling inventories, oil prices have dropped recently, attributed to various market manipulations and optimism regarding potential US-Iran deals. However, this could shift quickly if conflict impacts persist.

3. Executive Warnings:

• Chevron's Mike Wirth indicated that low crude inventories mean prices will likely rise soon. He mentioned that existing buffers are diminishing, and any imbalance in the market will exert upward pressure on prices.

• Exxon's Neil Chapman emphasized that inventory levels are approaching crisis points. He warned that once these levels hit unprecedented lows, prices could soar to $150-$160 per barrel, leading to demand destruction as consumers could no longer afford oil at such prices.

4. Impact of Conflict: The ongoing conflict in Iran has led to significant oil production disruptions, reducing outputs by roughly 12-13 million barrels daily. Such restrictions continue to affect global oil stocks and pricing, with economists predicting lasting impacts even post-conflict.

5. Strategic Reserves: Executives highlight a need for countries to build back oil reserves to protect against energy shocks. This concern focuses on instability caused by ongoing geopolitical tensions.

6. Potential Economic Effects: Continued strain in the oil market may lead to economic slowdowns or recessions, depending on fluctuating demand levels and infrastructure damage from conflicts.

The warnings from top oil executives underscore an urgent situation within global oil markets. Both Chevron and Exxon stress the need for vigilance as low inventory levels and ongoing conflicts could lead to significant price increases, adversely impacting global economies. As nations grapple with energy policies, they must consider the long-term implications of their oil supply strategies.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/approaching-unheard-inventory-levels-chevron-exxon-issue-apocalyptic-warning-about-what

US To Power Base With Nuclear Aircraft Carrier As Navy Mulls New Floating Reactor Program

The USS Gerald R. Ford, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is set to export electricity to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base globally. This initiative aims to enhance energy reliability at military installations.

• During a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao announced the plan to power Norfolk from the aircraft carrier’s A1B reactors.

• This carrier, worth $13 billion, has recently returned from a record deployment and will serve as a floating backup generator during emergencies or grid failures.

• The A1B reactors provide about 25% more energy than older systems, requiring fewer personnel to operate.

• This concept isn't new; similar floating nuclear power plants were proposed in the 1970s but faced regulatory challenges.

• Currently, Russia has a functioning floating reactor supplying power to an Arctic town, while concepts in Europe are still in development stages.

• Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle emphasized the need for a pilot program, possibly in collaboration with the Army and Air Force, to advance nuclear power initiatives by 2028–2030.

The project aims to explore the viability of aircraft carriers as energy sources while enhancing mission assurance and potentially aiding in water production in drought areas. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/us-chases-russia-exploring-nuclear-barges-navy-mulls-new-reactor-program

Miniature floating nuclear plants could supply clean power to Greek islands

Floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) could provide a clean energy solution for Greece's islands, according to a study by the Deon Policy Institute and other partners. This technology can help reduce carbon emissions and is considered commercially viable.

• What Are FNPPs? FNPPs are nuclear reactors built onto floating platforms, designed to produce electricity and other utilities like desalinated water. They use Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) that can be manufactured in factories and transported to sites.

• Benefits for Greece: Greece has a long coastline and many islands that make it suitable for FNPPs. These plants can generate energy near where it is needed without using up land needed for housing or farming. Additionally, FNPPs could replace old oil-fired power plants, especially on non-connected islands, and could help electrify ports without straining the existing electrical grid.

• Greece's Expertise: Greece has a strong maritime industry, allowing the country to utilize shipyard capacity and regulatory knowledge for FNPP deployment. The technology is not new; Russia has operated a floating nuclear plant since 2019.

• No Major Barriers: The study found no significant technical or legal obstacles to implementing FNPPs in Greece. The primary challenges are related to establishing appropriate policies and societal acceptance.

• Future Outlook: The study suggests that if the regulatory and public acceptance hurdles are addressed, a floating nuclear plant could start operations in Greece by 2035-2040.

Floating nuclear power plants are a viable and potentially transformative technology for Greece, offering a way to generate clean energy efficiently. Moving forward, the focus will be on developing supportive policies and gaining public support for these initiatives. 

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/miniature-floating-nuclear-power-plants-greece