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Christmas. 13, 2026, 12:02 PM EDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This is the July 13, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter.<\/em>Subscribe here<\/strong><\/em><\/a>to get it delivered straight to your inbox every Monday through Friday.<\/em><\/p>\n

I met Lindsey Graham the day we both got sworn into Congress on Jan. 4, 1995. Over the next three decades, I found many of his political moves maddening, and his willingness to bend on fixed values distressing.<\/p>\n

Lindsey went from idolizing a war hero in John McCain<\/strong> to blindly following a draft dodger. The senator moved from criticizing Donald Trump for the Jan. 6 insurrection to running defense for the chief insurrectionist himself.<\/p>\n

At his worst, Lindsey was everything I hated about politicians. At his best, Lindsey was an ally I was glad to have.<\/p>\n

Through it all, Graham was personally kind, gracious, self-deprecating. He rarely answered insult with insult, and when things got especially heated, Lindsey could be counted on to crack a joke that would lower the room’s temperature.<\/p>\n

History will judge the South Carolina senator for decades of decisions he made in public life over the course of his long career. But because this flawed politician was a longtime friend — and this is my column — I want to highlight two big contributions Lindsey made to America and the world.<\/p>\n

The first was when he joined a dozen lawmakers in shutting down Congress and threatening Speaker Newt Gingrich<\/strong>’s job in pursuit of a balanced budget. We became the hammer Newt used to pressure Bill Clinton<\/strong> into agreeing to four consecutive balanced budgets — the only time that’s happened in 100 years.<\/p>\n

More recently, Lindsey’s fight to support Ukraine’s effort against its Russian invaders was second to none in Washington. His efforts moved him to travel to Kyiv 10 times — the final trip just days before his death.<\/p>\n

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong> and the Ukrainian freedom fighters will certainly miss Lindsey Graham. So, too, will I.<\/p>\n