Far-left former MSNBC host Joy Reid sharply broke from many television personalities and journalists who reflected on the life of Sen. Lindsey Graham following his death on Saturday, using her Monday program to deliver an unflinching condemnation of the longtime South Carolina Republican.
Reid made clear from the outset that she had no intention of offering a traditional tribute, instead criticizing what she described as the media’s tendency to soften its coverage of controversial public figures after they die.
“There is a thing that happens when people who are not good people, and who’ve done a lot of bad … the media reacts to them in a very specific sort of ‘f*ck-up-ish’ kind of way, particularly when they’re conservatives,” Reid said Monday.
She added that she had been watching the reaction to Graham’s passing with interest, noting that his death had come as a surprise.
“So it’s been interesting kind of watching the fallout from the surprising passing of Lindsey Graham, who was not the Republican that we thought we were going to hear reports had passed away,” Reid said.
Rather than dwelling on personal remembrances, Reid told viewers she intended to focus on what she called the “bigger picture” of Graham’s political legacy.
Later in the broadcast, she delivered an extended criticism of the senator, arguing that his legacy would ultimately be defined by his relationship with President Donald Trump.
“You’re going to be remembered as someone who betrayed your friends, who betrayed your country, and who claimed that you cared about relationships,” Reid said while speaking about Graham. “But in the end, the only relationship you actually cared about was the relationship with Donald Trump.”
She continued by accusing Graham of abandoning his principles.
“You sold your soul. You betrayed your friends, your legacy, your own soul,” Reid said. “You sold your soul to the devil, and now you get to meet him in person.”
Earlier in the program, Reid had also remarked, “Hell opened its doors for at least one more.”
Reid rejected the notion that she should adopt a more conciliatory tone following Graham’s death, saying she would not change her comments because of pressure from the media.
“I will not be bullied by the corporate media” into speaking differently about Graham, she said.
She also challenged descriptions suggesting the country was united in mourning the senator.
“I cannot tell you how many anchors are on television saying the world is mourning the death of Lindsey Graham,” Reid said. “No. I think that the January 6th cops are not mourning. I think that Joe Biden’s family is probably mourning the Lindsey they knew before Donald Trump bought him.”
Reid also criticized Graham’s record as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, describing him as “one of the most snide, mean, horrific interrogators of Black nominees” to appear before the panel.
She contrasted those criticisms with her own personal observations of Graham, saying that despite her objections to his political career, she believed he possessed the ability to choose a different path.
“But at the same time, having been in the room with him, witty, intelligent, smart enough to do better and to know better,” Reid said.
According to Reid, Graham’s earlier criticism of Trump demonstrated that he understood the direction the Republican Party was taking before later becoming one of the president’s closest allies.
She referenced a previous statement Graham had made, quoting him as saying, “If we nominate Trump, we will be destroyed and we will deserve it.”
Reid concluded by arguing that Graham’s political legacy had already been permanently damaged.
“And eventually, your party will be destroyed,” she said. “Lindsey, your whole legacy is already destroyed.”
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