Iowa Senator Joni Ernst delivered an emotional tribute to the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham this morning, praising his humor, his 33 years in the military, and his efforts to project American leadership around the globe.
“Lindsey Graham was tough, he was funny and he loved this country,” Ernst said. “…Lindsey, we miss you and this chamber will never be the same without you.”
Ernst called Graham one of the most effective senators in U.S. history. “He brokered friendships and alliances that many people in this town said were no longer possible,” Ernst said. “He fought hard, then he would sit down and crack a joke with the people he had just been arguing with.”
Ernst and Graham served together on the Senate Armed Services Committee and often traveled together overseas as part of congressional delegations. Ernst said she saw Graham easily move from one conversation to the next with some of the world’s most powerful leaders. “Lindsey was always moving…He was always certain that presense was power,” Ernst said. “…Just days ago, Lindsey was in Ukraine meeting with President Zelinskyy and standing with a nation fighting for its survival because at his core he believed that American leadership was the difference between peace and oppression.”
Ernst called Graham a mentor, a friend and an early supporter of her first campaign for the U.S. Senate. “I’ll never forget the gift he gave me after I won,” Ernst said. “…I may be the only senator in history to be handed a mounted castration clamp with a plaque engraved ‘Make ’em Squeal Joni,’ just off the floor of this (Senate) chamber, courtesy of Lindsey Graham.”
Graham would call Ernst’s mother on her birthday, which was a few days before his, and Ernst’s mother was considering sending a donation to his re-election campaign. “So he took my phone and he made this cute little 10 second video and it went something like this: ‘Marilyn, we love you. We love Joni. We know times are hard, but send money,'” Ernst said. As her voice cracked, she added: “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched that video over and over again and just laughed.”
Senator Chuck Grassley spoke about Graham yesterday on the Senate floor, calling Graham a fair, productive and influential colleague.