As lawmakers, friends, and political allies remembered Sen. Lindsey Graham following his death over the weekend, one chapter of his career surfaced again and again: the extraordinary day he erupted in defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The South Carolina Republican was serving as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2018 when Kavanaugh’s confirmation battle descended into one of the most bitter nomination fights in modern history.
After Democrats revealed sexual assault allegations from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford late in the confirmation process, Graham abandoned his typically measured tone and delivered a speech that instantly became one of the defining moments of his Senate career.
Opening his questioning, Graham pointed to then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s pledge to oppose Kavanaugh’s nomination immediately after President Donald Trump announced it, before pressing the nominee about meetings with then-Sen. Dianne Feinstein and whether he knew Ford had already been connected with legal counsel, while Democratic members possessed the allegations for weeks.
When Kavanaugh said he had not known, Graham pivoted sharply toward Democratic members of the committee.
“If you wanted an FBI investigation, you could have come to us,” Graham declared. “What you want to do is destroy this guy’s life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020.”
He then turned back to Kavanaugh with a message that became one of the hearing’s most memorable lines.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”
As emotions escalated, Graham condemned the confirmation process itself.
“This is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics,” he said, arguing Democrats had no genuine interest in conducting a fair inquiry.
He also defended Kavanaugh’s personal reputation, pointing to years of professional praise and the absence of prior public accusations.
“This is not a job interview,” Graham said after Kavanaugh acknowledged the ordeal had been “hell and then some.” “This is hell.”
Graham warned that the battle could discourage qualified Americans from accepting future nominations, saying the confirmation fight risked destroying “the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap.”
He closed by urging fellow Republicans not to abandon the nominee.
“To my Republican colleagues, if you vote no, you’re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics,” Graham said. “I hope you’re on the Supreme Court—that’s exactly where you should be.”
Even amid one of the Senate’s most contentious hearings, Graham’s trademark wit surfaced. During a hallway exchange with reporters, after a protester shouted that Kavanaugh should take a polygraph test, Graham fired back without missing a beat.
“Why don’t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?”
Never forget Lindsey Graham’s amazing sense of humor—during the heated Kavanaugh confirmation fight:
Protester: Kavanaugh should take a polygraph.
Sen. Lindsey Graham: "Why don't we dunk him in water and see if he floats?" pic.twitter.com/ynTRuOavho
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 12, 2026
For many Republicans, the speech came to symbolize Graham’s willingness to defend judicial nominees against what he viewed as politically motivated attacks. In the hours following news of his death, that confrontation with Democrats—and his unwavering defense of Kavanaugh—was repeatedly cited as one of the most memorable moments of his decades-long career.
Watch the clip below:
RIP, Lindsey Graham. This moment in the Kavanaugh hearings was phenomenal. pic.twitter.com/r5U5FEsUSa
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 12, 2026
