Former Trump press secretary calls SC’s Lindsey Graham ‘Senator Freeloader’ in new book
Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham called South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham a “freeloader,” saying he took advantage of Mar-a-Lago’s perks in her new book about her time in President Donald Trump’s administration.
In her book, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now,” Grisham said Graham used his friendship with Trump to “mop up the freebies like there was no tomorrow,” multiple news outlets reported.
“He would show up at Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster to play free rounds of golf, stuff his face with free food, and hang out with Trump and his celebrity pals,” Grisham wrote in her book released Tuesday.
A spokesman for Graham was unable to be reached.
Grisham wrote that Graham visited multiple Trump properties in order to get “freebies,” referring to the state’s senior senator as “Senator Freeloader.”
Grisham also voiced her doubts about Graham and Trump’s relationship in the book.
Graham was often considered one of Trump’s staunchest allies after the now former president was elected. Often, Graham’s criticisms made on the 2016 campaign trail would resurface and were used against the Seneca Republican by his opponents.
“Some days he would be one of Trump’s most vigorous defenders; other days he was a harsh critic,” Grisham wrote. “People around the president would tell him that he couldn’t trust Graham, but Trump seemed to like him for whatever reason and I often wondered if he sought Lindsey’s approval.”
Graham and Trump’s relationship has ping-ponged between close and sometimes rocky after Trump’s 2020 loss to President Joe Biden.
After pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as Congress certified Biden’s election, Graham broke with Trump’s unproven claims that rampant voter fraud caused him to lose.
“He’s the legitimate president of the United States,” Graham said, referring to Biden. “I cannot convince people, certain groups, by my words. But I will tell you by my actions that I, above all others in this body need to say this, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected and will become the president and vice president of the United States on Jan. 20.”
On Jan. 7, Graham held a press conference calling for Trump and his allies to stop pushing claims of election fraud.
“The people on the campaign legal team have made accusations without sufficient proof,” Graham said. “They have been more the problem than the solution. They have claimed that 66,000 people in Georgia voted under 18. Have not found one person. They have claimed that 8,000 felons voted from prison in Arizona. I’ve asked for a list of names and received none.”
More recently, Trump attacked Graham after reports surfaced that the senator and Trump’s staff spoke about fraud claims after the election.
“Lindsey and Mike should be ashamed of themselves for not putting up the fight necessary to win,” Trump said late last month by way of his Save America political action committee.
Speaking to The State last month, Graham predicted the upcoming 2022 midterm elections will determine whether Trump’s presidency is forever linked to the events of Jan. 6. He called Trump a “good president” and said his policies will “stand the test of time.”
The Capitol riot “won’t be his legacy,” Graham said. “That won’t be his legacy if we win in 2022. If we lose in 2022, then Jan. 6 becomes his legacy.”
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 12:28 PM.
