MAGA will 'move on' quickly from GOP senator’s death — even as conspiracy theories run amok

The unexpected death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has inspired a lot of conspiracy theories from supporters of President Donald Trump — but one conservative suspects those theories will not have a long shelf-life.

“A prominent 71-year-old can’t just die of cardiovascular disease these days. Instead, judging by some people’s reactions to the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), there has to be a hidden hand at play,” wrote The Bulwark’s Will Sommer on Monday. He mentioned that right-wing activist Laura Loomer speculated Graham was assassinated either by Russia, for his staunch support of Ukraine, or by Iran, for his consistent backing of Israel. Loomer also speculated that Tucker Carlson, a former Trump supporter who has since turned on the president, might also be ripe for investigation.

“Lindsey Graham dying out of the blue like this doesn’t make any sense at all,” conservative activist Matt Van Swol argued in a post shared by Trump’s former press secretary Sean Spicer.

“And on it went,” Sommer added. “Conservative columnist Marc Thiessen suggested that Graham, who recently visited Ukraine, might be just the latest Putin foe to fall victim to an assassination. (Graham apparently died of an aortic dissection, and Thiessen was commenting on a post noting that ‘Graham has dealt with blood pressure issues since his 40s. His father also died of cardiac arrest at age 69.’) Former CBS News reporter-turned-conspiracy theorist Lara Logan, meanwhile, is dabbling in numerology, scrutinizing the timing of Donald Trump’s posts about Graham’s death to see if they hold clues.”

Sommer also mentioned that billionaire Bill Ackman joined in the conspiracy theories, and that even Trump’s FBI Director Kash Patel said the senator’s death could be a crime and may warrant bureau investigation. Yet the problem, Sommer added, is that conspiracy theories about Graham's death tend to be pro-Israel and pro-Ukraine by blaming Iran or Russia, even though the far right-wingers who indulge in conspiracy theories tend to be anti-Israel and pro-Russia

“Barring developments in an FBI investigation into Graham’s death, it seems unlikely to become a MAGA touchstone,” Sommer added. “More likely is that the movement will rather quickly move on.”

He concluded, “Perhaps that’s the ultimate insult to the legacy of Graham, who was ridiculed by Trump just a day after his death for backing away from his criticisms of the January 6th insurrection: Even the conspiracy theorists won’t be moved by him.”

Democrats, by contrast, have responded to Graham’s death by either expressing condolences or voicing contempt. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) wrote that he would remember Graham for “his sense of humor and how he deployed it to move his policy positions forward,” while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said that “even though we disagreed on much, he was always willing to negotiate, with humor and wit,” also writing that “my heart goes out to his loved ones.” Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) posted that he was “grateful I had the chance to work with Lindsey, including several international trips working on foreign policy.”

By contrast Thomas Lecaque, associate professor of history at Grand View University, wrote that “I don’t give a f that Graham used to be friends with Democratic senators. He was a bloodthirsty b—— who cheered the killing of Muslims and sold his soul to the fascists to be able to push it more effectively. I don’t care about any other part of him: his choices caused mass death. That’s it.”

Brandon Friedman, the co-founder of Rakkasan Tea Company and an Iraq War veteran, posted that “what I’ll remember most about Senator Graham is how he sent my friends to die in an unnecessary war in Iraq.” Princeton University historian Kevin Kruse said that he will most remember Graham for when he “threw an angry tantrum in defense of a SCOTUS nominee credibly accused of rape.”

Kruse added, “Did you all have a good collegial chuckle over that?”

Graham had a reputation for being a moderate Republican before becoming a staunch Trump supporter. The South Carolina unexpectedly died at the same time that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, has raised eyebrows for his prolonged absence.