Lindsey Graham's finest hour
The column honors Graham and highlights his response to a threat and his defense of Supreme Court nominees.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe Washington Examiner is an established national outlet with identifiable authorship, but it has a right-leaning editorial identity. This is an opinion column, so its institutional standing does not make its arguments equivalent to independently reported news.
- Source type — Established national outlet, though its editorial identity is distinctly conservative.
- Author attribution — The column identifies its author.
- Editorial standards — A recognizable publication, but this piece is opinion rather than reported journalism.
- Transparency — The outlet and article are clearly identified.
The piece includes quotations and some concrete events, but relies heavily on the author’s evaluative assertions and presents little competing perspective or independent evidence for its characterizations of the confirmation proceedings.
HOW WE SCORE ↗This is a strongly one-sided tribute that adopts Graham’s side of the confirmation disputes and offers no meaningful counterargument or alternative account.
- Counterarguments presented — The article does not present a substantive defense of the Democrats or their position.
- Loaded language — Repeatedly uses inflammatory judgments about the opposing side and its conduct.
- Opinion vs reporting — The piece is written as an approving opinion column rather than balanced reporting.
The column uses strongly approving language for Graham and strongly condemnatory language for Democrats involved in the Kavanaugh proceedings. Its framing consistently advances a conservative interpretation of those events.
- Language tone — Uses emphatic praise for Graham and highly disparaging descriptions of his political opponents.
- Framing — Presents Graham’s confrontation with Democrats as a moment of moral clarity and vindication.
- Source selection — Offers no substantial opposing account or response to the column’s judgments.
A column praises Lindsey Graham’s life and recounts his response to a threat shortly before his death, along with his forceful defense of Supreme Court nominees Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh. It portrays Graham’s remarks during Kavanaugh’s confirmation fight as a defining moment.
The article says Graham, South Carolina’s senior senator, died at 71 after what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” It recalls a social media post in which he responded wryly to a threatening poster, and a July Fourth message celebrating the country’s 250th birthday. The column presents him as patriotic, personable and committed to bipartisan relationships.
The column also recounts Graham’s defense of Samuel Alito during confirmation hearings and his criticism of Senate Democrats during Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation proceedings. It says Graham voted to confirm Kavanaugh and concludes that his actions during that episode were arguably his “finest hour.”
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Part of a bigger story
22 OUTLETSOutlets agree that Lindsey Graham died at 71 after an illness his office described as brief and sudden. Left-leaning outlets focus on his record on military intervention and criticism of Trump, while one report highlights FBI activity after his death and the absence of evidence of foul play. Center outlets emphasize his Senate relationships, bipartisan dealmaking and public service, alongside accounts of the investigation and tributes. Right-leaning outlets emphasize tributes to his conservative legacy, especially praise for his defense of Brett Kavanaugh.
- ARTICLES
- 23
- OUTLETS
- 22
- AVG CRED
- 65
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