Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) died Saturday evening at 71, and tributes quickly poured in from every corner of the political map, including from people who spent two decades fighting him tooth and nail on policy. That’s how things work. Democrats and Republicans alike often set aside their political differences to honor the memory of someone they served with.
Some things just transcend politics.
Well, for some people.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had served with Graham in the Senate for more than 20 years, trading votes, fighting over judicial nominees, and occasionally even working together on legislation. You'd think that kind of history would be worth a sentence or two.
It hasn't produced one.
I checked.
I went through Schumer's social media feeds and his official Senate page looking for any acknowledgment of Graham's death. As of this writing, there's nothing.
Not a statement, not a tweet, not so much as a passing mention of a man he spent two decades sharing a chamber with.
A few hours’ wait would have been bad enough, but arguably excusable. A full 24 hours would have been really bad. We’re well past the 24-hour mark, which means it’s a deliberate choice. Schumer's X feed did have time for an attack on Republicans for pushing to strengthen election integrity. Still, it couldn’t manage a single, even short, tweet acknowledging the death of Sen. Graham and honoring the memory of his colleague.
ICYMI: What Happens Now After Lindsey Graham's Death?
When a member of Congress, current or former, dies, leaders from both parties almost always step up with a statement, no matter how much they disagreed on policy. Lawmakers who serve together for years tend to build real relationships along the way, whether it's through travel, negotiating bills, or sitting on the same committees, and those relationships often survive the political fights that come with the job. Graham and Schumer served together long enough that I'd bet there was a real relationship there, too, whatever their disagreements. Even in the middle of brutal partisan warfare, a death is one of the few moments both sides still treat as sacred, a signal that the fighting has limits.
So why hasn't Schumer said anything?
Even House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) managed to scrape together a statement, short and safe as it was. "Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement: I am shocked to learn of the sudden passing of Senator Lindsey Graham. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones. May he Rest in Peace after his long career of service to the people of South Carolina," Jeffries said. It reads like the bare minimum: safe enough to avoid backlash, careful enough not to draw attention from the far-left base. It was posted only to his congressional website, which is the first hint about what’s really going on here. Jeffries didn’t post it on his social media, obviously, so it could be said that a statement was made — thus keeping up appearances — while also staying below the radar so the base doesn’t get upset.
Still, if Jeffries’ staff can take a few seconds to pull together a few careful sentences, Schumer’s team could too.
Make no mistake about it: Schumer is making a deliberate choice. Ever since he angered the Democrat Party base last year over the shutdown, he’s been trying extra hard to win back their support and stave off a primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) Clearly, he’s extremely worried that a statement acknowledging Graham’s death would create more bad blood between him and the base, so much so that he can't spare a few kind words for a Republican colleague he spent 20 years serving alongside.
What other explanation is there?
