Lindsey Graham’s Warning To GOP
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal allies in the Senate, is forcefully defending senior White House adviser Stephen Miller amid growing criticism from some Republican lawmakers.
In a recent Fox News interview, Graham made it clear that attempts to convince President Trump to distance himself from Miller are unlikely to succeed. He said Miller remains a trusted member of Trump’s inner circle and will continue to play a key role for the remainder of the administration.
Graham explained that when President Trump eventually leaves office, only a small group of advisers will depart with him — and Stephen Miller, he said, will be among them.
According to Graham, the real challenge facing the country has nothing to do with internal White House personnel disputes. Instead, he argued that policies such as sanctuary cities are undermining public safety and federal law enforcement.
Graham told viewers that Miller is not the problem, adding that Republicans should focus on addressing immigration enforcement and local policies that restrict cooperation with federal authorities.
The comments were widely viewed as a response to criticism from Republican senators including Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky, both of whom have questioned Miller’s influence on immigration and national security matters.
Tillis has sharply criticized Miller and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse who was killed by Border Patrol agents during an incident in Minneapolis over the weekend.
The North Carolina senator objected to early public statements that described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” arguing those characterizations were made before a full incident report or independent investigation had been completed.
Tillis said such remarks risk undermining public trust and called for officials to wait until all facts are known before making definitive claims.
He has also criticized Miller for previous comments suggesting the United States has a strategic claim to Greenland, a mineral-rich territory. Speaking on the Senate floor earlier this month, Tillis said Miller does not speak for the U.S. government and should avoid making foreign policy declarations.
Miller, for his part, defended his assessment of the Minneapolis incident in social media posts, describing Pretti as a violent threat to federal officers. Officials have said the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
Sen. Rand Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, also urged caution, noting that law enforcement leaders typically wait for completed investigations before publicly labeling individuals involved in deadly encounters.
Paul said an independent review would help restore public confidence and ensure transparency, particularly in incidents involving federal agents.
Despite the criticism from some Republicans, Graham’s remarks underscored that President Trump continues to stand firmly behind Stephen Miller — signaling that internal pressure from Capitol Hill is unlikely to alter the makeup of Trump’s inner circle.
