Rumour, speculation and sycophancy: The murky legacy of Lindsey Graham
The FBI has opened an investigation into the death of former Republican senator Lindsey Graham, with his death surrounded by mystery, conspiracy and controversy.
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What’s the story?
An opponent of abortion rights, same-sex marriage and advocate of Donald Trump when faced with sexual assault allegations – all while deflecting rumours about his own sexuality – Lindsay Graham was a MAGA Republican through and through.
He changed his tune during his career, initially referring to Trump as a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" who he said did not represent the Republicans in 2015 – Graham fell in line during the president’s time in politics, and the White House.
The 71-year-old South Carolina Senator died on 11 July 2026, due to a "brief but sudden illness", a day after returning from Kyiv, Ukraine.
"Washington D.C. in the past 10 years has become something of a petri dish for cowardice," says Miles Taylor, who served as a security official during Trump's first presidency (on who he later changed his views), and worked with Lindsey Graham.
"Republicans have been tested on what they are going to do amidst the rise of Donald Trump."
Why Graham's sycophantic backing of Trump shocked Republican allies
Taylor says he was “heartened” when Graham began campaigning against Trump in 2015, because of his former reputation as a patriotic and values-driven Republican, describing the billionaire businessman as the person the GOP was "most worried about" ahead of his selection.
"We didn't think Trump would win the nomination," Taylor says.
"We certainly didn't think he would win the presidency, but we thought he would do generational damage to the GOP brand simply by rising in the polls in the race.
"We didn't want people in the future to say this is the party that let Donald Trump be a nominee."
Taylor says there was a sense of shock among the party – first when Trump won the election, then when Graham flipped stance to support him.
"Donald Trump did not change an iota from the man that Lindsey described," he says.
"It was Lindsey Graham who changed."
Why would Lindsey Graham do a 180 on Trump?
Despite Graham's total shift in his moral stance, Taylor still describes his death as a loss of one of the “most significant members” of the US Senate.
He believes there is an argument to be made that without Graham’s influence, Trump may have never invaded Iran.
"If there was a single word that terrified Lindsey Graham professionally in his career in the United States Senate, it was irrelevance," Taylor says.
"He was worried that in the age of Trump, he wasn't going to be able to do Lindsey Graham-like things, where he was the guy cutting the deals between Democrats and Republicans, and taking them to the White House."
He says it was his fear of irrelevance that was what led him to forming such a "deep relationship" with the man he had once called a "xenophobic, religious bigot".
Why is the FBI investigating Lindsey Graham's death?
An FBI investigation into Graham's death is taking place – although Trump says they are "wasting their time".
The circumstances of his death, Taylor says, has led to worries that it might have been an intentional act – despite no evidence as yet to suggest foul play.
"Lindsay was on a lot of wanted lists, and as recently as seven days ago today, had been posting on social media about being targeted by the Iranians," Taylor says.
He had posted an image of a banner, calling for his death with a photo of his face on it, joking that “at least they used a good photo”.
"I don't think he thought he was going to be killed by one of those countries, and I must stress we don't have evidence of that yet," he adds.
“But what we do have is a claim, and one that should be taken very seriously.
"These accounts tied to the Iranian government have taunted the notion that they might be responsible for this killing."
He says whether Americans agree or disagree with Graham's politics, they should be scared of the very idea of a foreign state potentially assassinating elected officials.
Was Lindsey Graham compromised?
In the days since Graham's death, claims about his sexual activity with men and trans women have been shared on social media.
But while Taylor writes this off as "total speculation", he adds there were concerns among Republicans that his associations may have put him, and the party, at risk.
"There have been folks who have said in Republican circles for a number of years that they felt like Lindsey might be compromised in terms of people who might come forward and make disclosures that he doesn't want," Taylor says.
Graham's tarnished legacy
Taylor, who worked with Lindsey Graham, has as much praise for the former senator as he does criticism, but his radical shift to support Trump will be what defines his legacy, he says.
In 2020, when Trump demanded Georgia find extra votes for him following his loss in the 2020 US election, Graham tried to help him win an extra state.
"Lindsey Graham personally made a phone call to Georgia's Secretary of State, where there were those contested ballots," he says.
"Graham asked whether legally-cast mail-in ballots could be thrown out, and that request got him subpoenaed by the Fulton County Special Grand Jury."
Taylor believes if Trump had not legitimately won in 2024, it was likely Graham would have faced criminal inquiries into this act.
"For me, this completed the Lindsey Graham story arc," Taylor concludes.
"He was a man willing to fight ferociously to prevent Donald Trump from corrupting the Republican Party, let alone the executive branch of the federal government, becoming someone willing – to making phone calls to try to shake down a state government to get that man re-elected."