Christine Gregoire
American politician
Lindsey Graham is a U.S. Senator from South Carolina who has held the position since 2003. He has a diverse background, having served in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a lawyer in private practice before entering politics. Graham is known for his strong stances on national defense and foreign policy, as well as his occasional bipartisanship on certain issues.
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Lindsey Olin Grahamis an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021.
A native of Central, South Carolina, Graham received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1981. Most of his active duty during his military service happened from 1982 to 1988, when he served with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the United States Air Force, as a defense attorney and then as the Air Force’s chief prosecutor in Europe, based in West Germany. Later his entire service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve ran concurrently with his congressional career. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in 2014 and held the rank of colonel.
Graham worked as a lawyer in private practice before serving one term in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995. He served four terms in the United States House of Representatives for South Carolina’s 3rd congressional district from 1995 to 2003. In 2002, Graham won the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican incumbent Strom Thurmond. He was reelected to a fourth term in 2020. In the Senate Graham advocates for strong national defense and aggressive interventionist foreign policy. Initially, he was known for his willingness to be bipartisan and work with Democrats on issues like campaign finance reform, a ban on waterboarding, cap and trade, immigration reform, and judicial nominees. He has criticized the Tea Party movement, arguing for a more inclusive Republican Party.
Graham sought the Republican nomination for president between June and December 2015, dropping out before the 2016 Republican primaries began. He was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump’s 2016 candidacy and repeatedly said he did not support Trump; in particular, he took issue with Trump’s comments on Graham’s close friend, Senator John McCain. After a March 2017 meeting with Trump, Graham became a staunch ally of his, often issuing public statements in his defense. His reversal caught both parties by surprise and sparked media speculation. He became chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in January 2019, and led the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed in October 2020.
Lindsey Graham is a member of the Republican Party.
Lindsey Graham has been a U.S. Senator from South Carolina since 2003.
Lindsey Graham served in the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 1988, working as a defense attorney and chief prosecutor in Europe. He later continued his service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve concurrent with his congressional career.
Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator, Lindsey Graham served one term in the South Carolina House of Representatives and four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has also chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021.
Initially, Lindsey Graham was known for his willingness to work with Democrats on certain issues, but he later became a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, which caught both parties by surprise.
Lindsey Graham and the late Senator John McCain were close friends, and Graham took issue with Donald Trump’s comments about McCain during the 2016 presidential campaign.
As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lindsey Graham led the confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, who was ultimately confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court in October 2020.
Detainee policy in this war is hard, it’s complicated, but we must get it right. We would be better off as a nation if we could close Gitmo safely and start a new prison that he could use that the world would see as a better way to doing business.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
We’re failing when it comes to controlling spending.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
There’s a lot of things we can do to balance out what Obama’s done and going forward show the American people the Republican Party can govern. I want a coalition of tea party people, independents, moderate Democrats trying to find a way to move this country forward before we become Greece.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
The healthcare bill not only is a monstrosity in terms of growing the government and cutting out the private sector, the way it was passed was sleazy. Every old Washington trick was used to pass the healthcare bill.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
We’ve got fifty people at Gitmo that are too dangerous to be let go that will never go through a normal criminal trial. Let’s create a new legal system, so they’ll have their day in court.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
Why did we go to war? Why did we pick people from South Carolina, California, and all the places in between to go to a foreign land and risk their lives and have some die? To make sure that Saddam Hussein could do no more damage to the region or us than he has already done.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
What’s going on in the Senate is kind of a politics of escalation. We’re getting sort of like the Mideast: pay back everybody when you’re in charge.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
It puts limits on criminals’ rights to destroy unborn children without the permission of the woman.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
The courtroom is a quiet place, Judge Roberts, where you park your political ideology, and you call the balls and you call the strikes.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
We don’t have a lot of Reagan-type leaders in our party. Remember Ronald Reagan Democrats? I want a Republican that can attract Democrats.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
The American consumer is also the American worker, and if we don’t do something to protect our manufacturing base here at home, it is going to be hard to buy any retail goods.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
We will never win this war until we understand the effect that Guantanamo Bay has had on the overall war effort. And we’ll never get the support of the American people if we can’t prove to them that these folks that we’re dealing with are not common criminals. We’re going to keep them – keep you safe from them.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
The sooner we get started with alternative energy sources and recognize that fossil fuels makes us less secure as a nation, and more dangerous as a planet, the better off we’ll be.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
I dare say there may be some men and women in the Armed Forces who are so decent that they would say: Give the Iraqi people money, we do not want to be paid back. That is the strength of our country.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
Conservatives have a different view of a lot of issues versus our friends on the other side. The election determines how that shakes out.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
President Bush has shown great leadership. He has said that the 21st century will not be ruled or dictated by terrorists, dictators, and murderers. He is absolutely right. God bless him for his resolve.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
Iran is part of the problem, not the solution. And the Russian government is ignoring reality.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
We cannot win this war on terror if people are undercutting us. And one way to undercut us is to empower Iran.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
The politics of judges is getting to be red hot.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
If you increase taxes now on – at any level, it’s going to make it harder to create jobs And we’ve lost 2 1/2 million jobs since the stimulus package passed. We’re at 9.6 unemployment. So I don’t think we tax too little, I think we spend too much.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
Well, the big elephant in the whole system is the baby boomer generation that marches through like a herd of elephants. And we begin to retire in 2008.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)
Social Security must be preserved and strengthened. But we need to be candid about the costs and willing to make the tough choices that real reform will require.
American lawyer and politician (born 1955)