Lindsey Graham Is Dead. What About Mitch McConnell?!
The long-time South Carolina Senator passed away from a "sudden illness"
Overnight, long-time South Carolina Senator and Donald Trump ally, Lindsey Graham, passed away. In an official statement, his office said that he died of a “sudden and brief illness.” An update that I am sure will not elicit wild conspiracies from all corners of the MAGA influencer universe.
Graham’s passing is jarring due to its unexpectedness and the active work he was doing internationally in Ukraine. Earlier this morning on Meet the Press, President Trump confirmed that he received a call around 7 o’clock last night from Graham, who had just returned from a meeting with President Zelensky in Ukraine. He described Graham as “a little tired” when they spoke, but he had no indication that he was unwell.
Unlike Trump, who has actively worked to undermine funding to Ukraine, publicly humiliated Zelensky, and repeatedly praised and elevated Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Graham was a proponent of giving the embattled Eastern European country the supplies it needs to push back against its overly aggressive former USSR neighbor.
It is also worth noting that in his final call with Trump, Graham allegedly made clear that he was pushing the Senate to pass Trump’s controversial SAVE Act, which would require all Americans to provide proof of citizenship, not ID, when they go to vote. An act that, if passed, would greatly restrict the ability of many marginalized Americans to participate in our great Democratic system.
These kinds of contradictions were common with Graham, who was, at one time, Trump’s biggest critic. However, once it became clear Trump was the decisive leader of the Republican Party, Graham, like many spineless conservatives, quickly fell in line, and his proficient ass-kissing won him a spot in the former New York real estate conman’s inner circle.
We will get into Graham’s passing, legacy, and more in a Guerrilla Press video podcast tomorrow, but it is worth mentioning how one of Graham’s final acts, other than advocating for the SAVE Act, was using his clout with Trump to push America into a losing war with Iran.
Graham was, by all accounts, one of the fiercest war hawks on the Hill, and between his misguided, at best, intentions and Pete Hegseth’s lack of self-control, American might is once again being unnecessarily activated overseas. This brief war has cost American lives, spiked oil prices, definitively put control of the Strait of Hormuz in the hands of the Iranians, and tarnished America’s reputation around the world for likely decades to come.
Out of “respect,” Trump didn’t want to address this portion of Graham’s legacy during his Meet The Press appearance. Gee, I wonder why.
Of course, while the world sits in shock at the sudden loss of Graham, another notable long-time Republican Senator’s mortality is in question: Mitch McConnell.
Yes, despite ongoing speculation and questions about his health from virtually every outlet on the planet, there is still no proof of life for McConnell. Not a video, photo, or even an AI-generated audio recording to try and assuage the masses.
Furthermore, CNN is distancing itself from its marquee conservative pundit Scott Jennings’s on-air assertion that he spoke with the Kentucky Senator on the phone for roughly seventeen minutes last week.
In an official statement to The Daily Beast, a CNN spokesman said the following:
“As a CNN Political Commentator, Scott Jennings is not a full-time employee or journalist for the network. His account of a personal conversation with Senator McConnell reflects his experience and is not CNN reporting.”
So why is it so easy for the GOP to come clean about Graham’s health but not McConnell’s? Well, if you enjoyed EJ and my Mitch McConnell Is Totally Alive conversation earlier this week, you would know that Republicans are likely itchy to keep Mitch alive, or at least the patina of being alive, until August 3rd.
If Republicans can continue to carry on the McConnell charade past that date, then the Kentucky Senate midterm contest will be constrained to the two already-determined Republican and Democrat candidates on the ballot. If not, a special election will be called, offering independents, like Epstein File-releaser Thomas Massie, a chance to run and possibly take McConnell’s seat.
Lindsey Gram is dead, but what about Mitch McConnell? As Republicans grieve, we can only hope they find their moral compasses, come clean about McConnell’s status, and set the stage for a clean and fair midterm contest.
Of course, as I was taught growing up down south, we can shit in one hand and hope in the other. I think we all know which hand will fill up first. What a craven mess.
- Nick