It was one of the lowest moments in American politics, but it was one of the highest points in Lindsey Graham’s long career.
As Americans remember the late Senate Republican from South Carolina, it’s more than worth remembering the day he delivered one of the fieriest speeches in modern Senate history — excoriating Democrats for their depraved treatment of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Graham might not always have been loved by the MAGA movement, but this one was different.
A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the circus that surrounded the Kavanaugh confirmation process, Graham exploded on his Democratic colleagues during a September 2018 hearing, blasting the cascade of accusations against the nominee and denouncing the Democrats’ smear campaign as “the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics.”
If you missed it back then, it’s a must-watch moment. And even if you saw it, it deserves another look. Check it out here:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 12, 2026
The Democratic Party has spent the 21st century proving it can’t be trusted with power, but its operations are often behind the scenes and protected by a Praetorian Guard in the Washington press corps.
(The “Russia collusion” hoax is a case in point, and Graham did his part in battling that, too.)
But the sheer viciousness of the attacks on Kavanaugh was different.
The chief accusation was based on the “evidence” of hazy, supposed memories from an accuser who couldn’t provide a date, a location, or a witness to an alleged incident that was claimed to have taken place decades earlier.
Others followed, seemingly growing more ludicrous with every passing day. (Many were brought by the then-ubiquitous, now-disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti.)
It was character assassination on a grand scale, played out on the national stage. And it demonstrated — like nothing else — that the modern Democratic Party’s drive for power would never be limited by the standards of decency.
And Graham’s fury spoke for millions of Americans everywhere.
“This is going to destroy the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap,” he said, his voice dripping with both rage and contempt.
“To my Republican colleagues,” he concluded, “if you vote ‘no,’ you’re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics.”
Then, to Kavanaugh, he said: “I hope you’re on the Supreme Court. That’s exactly where you should be. And I hope that the American people will see through this charade.”
Kavanaugh did end up on the Supreme Court, with the help of a pivotal vote from Maine Sen. Susan Collins.
And the “charade” Democrats engaged in proved — before the eyes of the public — that the party has no limits, and only a passing relationship with the idea of telling the truth.
The years since have reiterated that lesson — the Joe Biden presidency was nothing if not a four-year national nightmare underscoring the point.
Even though Graham’s relationship with MAGA was complicated, do you think he ultimately helped Trump’s cause?
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Graham has had a complicated relationship with President Donald Trump and his supporters. He’s gone from fierce Trump critic to fierce Trump supporter, to a politician with legitimate policy differences with the president.
Those differences have at times set him up for public embarrassment from fervent Trump backers, but Graham was no more perfect than any other politician God ever made or will make.
The point is that when it mattered, Graham was often on the right side.
And he made one of the lowest points in the history of American politics one of the highest points in his political career.
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