Online commentators and some public figures have responded to the death of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina with disparaging remarks, including homophobic comments and gloating. Graham died Saturday at age 71 after a "brief illness," according to a statement from his office.
Among those posting online were "Game of Thrones" star Liam Cunningham, who wrote, "Lindsey Graham is dead. Have a great Sunday!" Author Seth Harp commented, "I was going to go piss on Lindsey Graham’s grave, but when I got out of the army, I vowed that I would never wait in line for anything ever again." Grayzone correspondent Wyatt Reed posted, "Congratulations to every peace-loving person on the planet — The world is a little brighter today." White supremacist Nick Fuentes and Ana Kasparian of "The Young Turks" both posted "Good riddance."
Several commentators made homophobic remarks, referencing rumors about Graham's personal life. Journalist John Teufel wrote, "Everyone on CNN saying Lindsay Graham was a ‘complicated’ man, like just say gay please lol." Another journalist, Eric Spracklen, posted, "Please stop acting happy over Lindsey Graham and pray for his wife and kids."
Some public figures criticized the nature of these online responses. Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt stated, "You can tell a lot about a person by how they react when someone dies." Journalist Piers Morgan drew a parallel between the reaction to Graham's death and the response to the death of British politician Ann Widdecombe, writing, "Seeing the despicably cruel, heartless and abusive way that many people in UK and US have responded to the deaths of conservative politicians, Ann Widdecombe and Lindsey Graham, reminds me that the least kind people on earth are ironically those on the #BeKind woke left."
Monica Lewinsky, who was involved in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, defended Graham. She recalled that Graham, as a House manager during the 1998 impeachment proceedings, "worked tirelessly to prove there was a smear campaign against me from inside the WH." She added, "I’ve disagreed with many (many) of Lindsey Graham’s choices and beliefs, but he was also... RIP."
Graham, a prominent figure in the Republican party, had recently returned from a state visit to Ukraine, his tenth since the start of Russia's invasion. He had been a strong supporter of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Graham a "true defender of freedom and the values of our alliance." Former President Donald Trump described Graham as "like family."