Lindsey Graham’s sister joined his powerful friends for a dinner in his honor.
Darline Graham, who became South Carolina senator after her brother’s sudden passing, attended a high-powered dinner hosted by Lebanese banker Antoun Sehnaoui and former U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus at the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C., on Monday, reports Axios’ Barak Ravid.
The dinner was held in honor of the late Republican firebrand, who died at age 71 earlier this month. A preliminary examination previously found that he died from a tear in his heart.
The dinner’s guest list included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara; Graham’s family, including Darline’s husband and daughter; a host of Republican senators including Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, and Roger Wicker; Democratic lawmakers Chris Coons, Jeanne Shaheen, Sheldon Whitehouse, and John Fetterman; and top Trump officials Stephen Miller and Markwayne Mullin.
Other participants included Miller’s wife, Katie; former national security adviser Dina Powell McCormick; and Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter.
Darline, 62, became South Carolina’s first female senator on July 14 after she was appointed to fill the vacancy left by her brother. Graham died while chasing a fifth term in Senate; Darline, meanwhile, has never run for office but now faces an uphill battle to win the special Republican primary on Aug. 11.
But Republican operatives are skeptical of Darline’s chances and MAGA bona fides, given that she’s unknown, her background is an enigma, and her politics are hazy.
Darline previously told Fox News that she planned to carve her own path instead of becoming a carbon copy of her famously hawkish sibling. Her attendance at the dinner, however, hints at the company she may choose to keep politically.
The Swamp, the Daily Beast’s political newsletter, previously reported that it was only able to trace one political donation back to Darline: in 2020, she donated $100 to the re-election campaign for then-State Senator Katrina Shealy, who fought the GOP’s near-total ban on abortion.
Darline later issued a statement defending that donation, writing: “One of my core convictions is my belief in protecting the sanctity of human life at every stage. For years, I’ve committed my life to fighting for vulnerable populations, and no one is more vulnerable than an unborn child who cannot speak for themselves.”
The freshman senator has also positioned herself as a Trump loyalist by co-sponsoring the Senate version of the SAVE Act, a legislation that the president has repeatedly—and unsuccessfully—sought to enact. The legislation would require proof of citizenship to vote. U.S. citizenship is already a requirement to vote, and cases of noncitizen voting are very rare.
