Lindsey Graham's Response To The New Trump Tell-All Is Raising Eyebrows

Only days after the release of former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham's tell-all "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House," it seems at least one subject featured in the memoir is scrambling to course-correct the less-than-flattering picture painted by the erstwhile aide. While the cast of characters featured in "I'll Take Your Questions Now" resembles a gallery of controversial figures — centering on ex-President Donald Trump, Grisham's former boss Melania Trump, and extending outwards — much attention has been paid to her depiction of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. 

Per Grisham's account (via Daily Beast), Graham, who she nicknamed "Senator Freeloader" in her book, made visits to Trump's residence at the private Florida resort Mar-a-Lago during his term for the primary purpose of "[mopping] up the freebies like there was no tomorrow." She described him as an opportunist who used those visits to vicariously live a life of Trumpian luxury. 

After Grisham's recollections of Graham hit the news cycle, Graham quickly went on a PR defense, appearing on the conservative network Newsmax to set the story straight. But unfortunately for Graham, it seems his attempts to clean up his image didn't exactly land as  intended.

As the Daily Beast noted, Lindsey Graham appeared nervous throughout his October 6 Newsmax interview with anchor Rob Schmitt, who seemed to use Graham's submissive diffidence to his own advantage. Referring to passages from Stephanie Grisham's book — those that described Graham as plundering as much as he could carry during his multiple pilgrimages to Mar-a-Lago — Schmitt was candid with his line of questioning: "What exactly is she implying here and what's your response?"

Per the Daily Beast, Graham's answers to Schmitt were superseded by rounds of skittish laughter and frequent side-glances towards anywhere except the camera. "Apparently she's implying that the only reason I want to be around President Trump is because of the food," Graham answered. "I'll let you determine if that's why I spend time with the president because I need my next meal."

After Schmitt made cracks that Graham, as a U.S. senator, must be underpaid in order for him to swipe up Mar-a-Lago swag, the career politician responded by appearing to admit that part of the impetus for his Mar-a-Lago sojourns were for the high-premium freebies. "My appreciation for President Trump includes the food, but much beyond that," Graham stated. Graham did not elaborate on what the latter entailed — but considering his reputation as a Trump lackey, it's possible he didn't really have to. His defense received quite the critique from viewers, with some calling it "creepy" and "uncomfortable." For Graham, this might have been a swing and a miss.