Free Republic

Dear President Obama, We watched with great interest your recent interview with Bill O'Reilly. Unfortunately, we believe the interview raises more questions than it answers regarding the September 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi that resulted in the death of four Americans. The American people and their representatives in Congress deserve to know the truth regarding what happened before, during, and after the terrorist attack. For that reason, we ask that you help clarify some of the questions raised by your interview.

In what could be a major turning point in the race to oust Lindsey Graham from the U.S. Senate, most of South Carolina’s grassroots and Tea Party leaders are officially lining up to endorse Lee Bright Thursday morning on the front steps of the State House in Columbia. The announcement is set for 10 a.m. The boost for the upstate Senator comes a little over a month after the Tea Party Convention in Myrtle Beach, where the consensus was that Bright carried the candidates’ debate – and had a clear plurality of support – dynamics that have been supported by...

"...Currently, South Carolina holds its primary election June 10. If no candidate reaches 50 percent, there is a runoff, currently scheduled for June 24. The group filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, contending that the existing system violates the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, passed in 2009, which “requires states to transmit validly-requested absentee ballots to service members no later than 45 days before a federal election,..."

"If these negotiations [with Iran] fail, there are two grim alternatives," said Sen. Richard Durbin, "a nuclear Iran, or war, or perhaps both." Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham returned from the Munich security conference saying that even John Kerry agrees that President Obama's Syrian policy has failed. They are urging another look at air strikes. North Korea is warning that should the annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises go forward in March, it could mean war, possibly nuclear war. Philippines President Benigno Aquino III this week compared his country's situation to Czechoslovakia in 1938, and the disputed islets off his...

Upstate Senator Lee Bright’s campaign appears to be gaining steam while incumbent Lindsey Graham looks to be in deep trouble according to a recent poll of likely Republican Primary voters in South Carolina. The big picture results of the survey show that South Carolinians are deeply dissatisfied with Graham, Bright is dominating the crowded field of challengers, and both trends seem to be building. Only 38% of voters said that Graham deserves to be re-elected, while 49% said it’s time for someone new. That someone would appear to be Bright, who polled more than Nancy Mace, Bill Connor and Richard...

Hell-bent on arming opposition forces in Syria—despite strong evidence that they’re run by Islamic terrorists—John McCain displayed behavior unbecoming of a United States Senator during a recent meeting with Syrian Christian leaders touring Capitol Hill. The delegation of Syrian clergy came to Washington to raise awareness among lawmakers of the growing crisis among the region’s minority Christian community. Christians make up about 10% of the Syrian population and they are being targeted and ruthlessly murdered by radical elements of the rebel forces, according to the visiting church officials. They say the media and human rights groups in the west have...

  This Candidate Fights for His ConvictionsHear what Richard Cash, the U.S. Senate candidate from South Carolina, had to say In this week's "On the Campaign Trail" podcast, we are joined by Richard Cash. Richard discusses his campaign for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina where he hopes to replace Republican incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham. Cash's story includes being married for over 28 years, a proud father of eight children, a corporate computer analyst, a full time pro-life missionary, a volunteer youth coach and athletic director, and the founder and owner of two small businesses. In this Podcast, he...

Sen. Lindsey Graham blasted President Obama for the foreign policy portion of his State of the Union address Tuesday night. “The world is literally about to blow up,” the South Carolina Republican told Roll Call. “The world as I know was not remotely described by the president.” “Syria is a contagion … Iraq is disintegrating. The whole region is moving toward chaos, and we’re doing nothing. We’re talking about limiting drones?” he continued. “I hope he will leave a residual force in Afghanistan [so] they can do the job, because if he doesn’t,

THE WORST REPUBLICAN SENATOR Lindsey Graham's sorry record. By Quin Hillyer – South Carolina's Lindsey Graham is a flop. He pretends to be a conservative, but sells out conservatives and insults them while doing so. He pretends to be effective at reaching across party lines, but the only thing he effectively does is help the other party. He inhabits the Senate seat of Strom Thurmond, legendary for great attention to his South Carolina constituents, but Graham spends most of his time trailing behind John McCain like a valet as McCain criss-crosses the country in pursuit of the presidency. He called...

WASHINGTON — For more than a year House Republican leaders have insisted the chamber would act on new immigration laws. And for more than a year, Republicans have done virtually nothing on the issue — despite intense pressure from activists, business groups, and the nation’s changing demographics. And although there are a variety of reasons for inaction, one Republican lawmaker recently offered a frank acknowledgement that for many House Republicans, there’s one issue at play that’s not often discussed: race. “Part of it, I think — and I hate to say this, because these are my people — but I...

Reposted article at Spectator.org. Every bit as relevant today as then. South Carolina's Lindsey Graham is a flop. He pretends to be a conservative, but sells out conservatives and insults them while doing so. He pretends to be effective at reaching across party lines, but the only thing he effectively does is help the other party. He inhabits the Senate seat of Strom Thurmond, legendary for great attention to his South Carolina constituents, but Graham spends most of his time trailing behind John McCain like a valet as McCain criss-crosses the country in pursuit of the presidency. He called Ted...

HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS — A Mexican national was executed Wednesday night in Texas for killing a Houston police officer, despite pleas and diplomatic pressure from the Mexican government and the U.S. State Department to halt the punishment. Edgar Tamayo, 46, received a lethal injection for the January 1994 fatal shooting of Officer Guy Gaddis, 24. Asked by a warden if he had a final statement, he mumbled "no" and shook his head. As the lethal dose of pentobarbital began taking effect, he took a few breaths and then made one slightly audible snore before all movement stopped. He was pronounced dead...

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (RINO-S.C.) has been censured by yet another local Republican Party organization, the website BenSwann.com is reporting. With the support of 78 percent of its members, the Pickens County Republican Party passed a cookie cutter resolution this week accusing Graham of committing “a long series of actions that we strongly disapprove of and hold to be fundamentally inconsistent with the principles of the South Carolina Republican Party.” The resolution lists roughly thirty such actions – most of them copied and pasted from prior censure resolutions against Graham. Included on the list? Graham’s support for the National Security...

Perfectly rational in one sense, deeply surprising in another. And not just for the obvious “RINO versus RINO” reasons. How the heck did Rand Paul lose the “bash Christie” sweepstakes to Lindsey Graham? “It seems to me that this whole bridge thing reinforces a narrative that’s troublesome about the guy, he’s kind of a bully,” Graham told NBC News on Thursday on Capitol Hill, referring to the scandal over land closures on the George Washington Bridge that’s engulfed Christie over the past two days… “If anybody in my office had done such a thing, they knew what their fate would...

By Sharyl Attkisson CBS NewsJanuary 8, 2014, 5: 45 PM U.S. Benghazi compound lease renewed without security Updated 7:25 p.m. ETThe State Department renewed the lease for the U.S. compound in Benghazi two months before the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks without requiring the facility to meet normal security standards. That news comes from an interview Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., conducted with a survivor of the attacks.   The survivor, a State Department diplomatic security agent whose name isn't being disclosed, spoke behind closed doors in late November to Senators Graham, Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The previously-undisclosed existence...

GREER, SC (FOX Carolina) - Rosyln Weston, spokeswoman for Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, confirmed to FOX Carolina a United Flight headed to Dulles International Airport made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff Monday afternoon. Weston said the plane took off at 2:37 p.m. and shortly thereafter the pilot reported there was a problem. The decision was made to turn around and make an emergency landing. The plane landed safely at 3:06 p.m. and all 40 passengers on board are OK. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham confirmed on Twitter he was on the flight. He tweeted "About 5 minutes into today's flight...

Between 2007 and 2011, there were over 43,000 bankruptcies just in South Carolina. That number grows substantially when you include businesses that failed or closed-up even if they did not end in a technical bankruptcy. Unfortunately, my own business was one of them.

It may come next week or maybe six months from now, but House Republicans will decisively determine whether to kill immigration reform or make a real attempt at passing it. No one would be surprised if Speaker John Boehner chose the former option. But the longer Boehner takes to decide, the more ground he cedes to states dominated by single party politics and eager to craft immigration laws in the face of a crippled Congress. Congressional inaction has left millions of families increasingly living in two parallel universes. Republican-run states turn cops into border patrol agents and cut undocumented immigrants...

Twelve-year-old Jason Penate spent the holidays hanging close by his father. They picked out a Christmas tree and decorated the front window of their Gainesville, Va., home with candy canes, and Jason tried very hard not to think about whether his father would still be here in the new year. Jorge Penate, a Guatemalan national who came to the United States illegally in 1997, has a hearing scheduled Monday that will determine whether he can stay in the country. A drunken driving arrest two years ago launched deportation proceedings and cast his family’s future into uncertainty.Jason wrote a letter to...

Mike Huckabee is making ads supporting Lindsey Graham for a Karl Rove, or Rove-like front group calling itself conservative. Huckabee has also made some noise about running for President in 2016. In essence, Rove and other establishment Republicans may end up recruiting him in 2016 to split off some number of social cons in hopes of preventing a more conservative Republican candidate from winning the nomination in 2016.

In his press conference on December 20th, President Obama urged the House of Representatives to support the Senate’s immigration bill, which passed 68-32 in late June. Among the concerns cited by Americans who oppose reform are that immigrants will take their jobs, drive down wages, increase criminal activity, burden the welfare system, and reshape the cultural dynamic of the country. These concerns are mostly ill-founded. The legitimate concerns have real solutions, and a more open immigration policy will be a net benefit for all Americans... Highlights from Article: - A 2013 study by the American Action Forum states that "immigration...

Above: Bob Clark, director of classic "A Christmas Story",and his son were killed by a drunk illegal alien on 4/4/2007. by John HillFor many Americans, Christmas means something else besides faith, family, food (and presents). It means movies: It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol (pick one), Miracle on 34th Street. On Christmas I often watch a modern classic: A Christmas Story, the irreverent adaptation of Jean Shepherd's memoir of Christmas memories from childhood. Many of our readers also caught this extraordinary film (at least) once yesterday, as the cable network TBS shows it non-stop for 24 hours every year at Christmas....

An illegal alien suspected of causing a traffic accident and killing movie director Bob Clark, whose “A Christmas Story” has come alongside “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street” as a perennial holiday must-watch, has been placed under an immigration hold by federal authorities. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency placed the hold on Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, a Mexican national who was living in Los Angeles as an illegal immigrant, according to a report from Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee. Agency spokeswoman Virginia Kice said the hold means Valezquez-Nava, when his Los Angeles court proceedings...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he prayed Sarah Palin does not get involved in a GOP Senate primary fight in South Carolina. But the Arizona senator said he does not expect her to target the primary fight with his friend, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “Oh, I pray she wouldn’t do that,” McCain told The New York Times in a wide-ranging interview. “And you know, I find it hard to believe that she would.” ADVERTISEMENT Palin, McCain’s vice presidential running mate in 2008, has hinted about targeting South Carolina and a number of other states housing GOP incumbents up for reelection....

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., announced Tuesday that she will be introducing legislation to roll back provisions in the pending budget deal that would cut military retirement benefits by reducing cost-of-living adjustments. Shaheen, who is up for re-election in 2014, said that the plan would be paid for by closing “select corporate tax loopholes,” even though Republicans resisted doing so in the budget agreement that has yet to pass the Senate. “This bipartisan budget agreement will create economic certainty for small businesses, help promote job creation, and protect our country from another government shutdown but like I’ve said before, it’s not...

According to a new Gravis Marketing poll, If the election were held today, Lindsey Graham would win the South Carolina Senate primary. However, voters say they would support a Tea Party Challenger and still prefer former Senator Jim DeMint over Senator Lindsey Graham.

LINDSEY GRAHAMS APPEASEMENT APPROACH PROVEN FAILURE The naïve bipartisan strategy preferred by Republican moderates like Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Mitch McConnell was further embarrassed on Thursday, as Harry Reid and the Democrats rammed through a measure limiting the rights of the Senate minority on a party line vote. “I wonder if Lindsey Graham and John McCain have learned their lesson yet” said Lee Bright following the 52-48 vote engineered by Reid that takes away the 60 vote cloture rules on certain Senate votes. The conservative challenger to Graham who has been picking up major endorsements and straw poll victories...

The leading challenger to Lindsey Graham, Lee Bright, took on NBC Political Director Chuck Todd on Todd's "Daily Rundown" show on MSNBC - in an interview just completed. Todd repeatedly tried to trip Bright up on Common Core, but Bright was having none of it - calling one of Todd's questions "absurd" at one point. Todd's facial expression clearly showed disappointment, as he obviously thought he had some "gotcha" moments….but they all failed. I'll post video as soon as available.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has an 89.12 lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union and has been in Congress since 1995. Yet the Republican fixture on Capitol Hill will face four primary challengers next year, all of whom accuse him of not being a true conservative. Graham, who is much in the mold of his friend, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is known for often reaching across the aisle on important legislative issues. One notable example of this is his being a member of the bipartisan Gang of Eight immigration reform group this year. Before being elected to the...

A reminder that as primary season rolls in, our Priority #1 must be to replace the abominations of pro-amnesty RINOs in Red States with actual conservatives-- having an Obama-bootlicking liberal like Lindsey Graham in a state as solidly conservative as South Carolina, or a spineless wimp like Lamar Alexander in a reliably Red State like Tennessee (both of whom backed that traitorous, Constitution-shredding immigration bill earlier this summer), is even worse than dealing with a Democratic Senator. The Democrats could never win a Senate seat in such solidly Red States after all, so these are essential power bases for us...

Thirty years ago President Ronald Reagan famously said, “We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.” Winston Churchill summed up the fatal flaw of appeasement years earlier this way: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has taken these words and the lessons of history to heart. He has warned repeatedly how a bad deal with Iran over its nuclear program can have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security. Unless and until Iran is verifiably stripped entirely of its nuclear enrichment capabilities, he believes, the...

One Senate aide blamed Corker’s spotlight-grabbing role as Cruz’s foil on weak Republican leadership. “Because our leadership has not led for a number of months because of electoral politics, Senator McCain and Senator Graham and Senator Corker have sort of emerged as sort of de facto leaders in a leadership vacuum,” he says. “I like Senator Cornyn, I like Senator McConnell, I respect them, I know their colleagues respect them, but in fairness there just has not been a whole lot of direction, there’s really been no strategy.” “It might not work,” he adds of Cruz and Lee’s efforts (we...

A primary challenger to South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the incumbent Senator may be vulnerable in 2014 because his embrace of the Senate's immigration bill has angered South Carolinians who are against amnesty for illegal immigrants. Nancy Mace, who is the first female graduate of The Citadel, appeared on Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot channel 125 and said it was unfair to legal immigrants to award those whose first step was breaking the law. "Amnesty does not sell down here," Mace said. "People are very upset with it." The 35-year-old wife, mother, and small-business owner said,...

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus backed Sen. Ted Cruz’s anti-Obamacare quasi-filibuster Tuesday, possibly sending a message to senior GOP leaders who are criticizing Cruz’s tactics in defunding Obamacare. Cruz is speaking against Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plans to hold a vote on a stopgap continuing budget resolution Wednesday, where Reid is expected to strip out language from the House version of the budget resolution that defunds Obamacare. Cruz doesn’t want the vote to happen until Obamacare is definitively defunded — without Reid’s expected changes. “In a fight between Harry Reid and Ted Cruz, I will stand with Ted...

The Obama administration appears to be on the verge of a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran after three and a half decades of low-level warfare. Now comes the hard part: convincing Congress. Skeptical lawmakers are gearing up to thwart efforts to lift the pressure on Iran. Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) warned this week that he may introduce legislation making it harder for President Obama to loosen existing sanctions, while several others have vowed to slap on new ones. “The United States should negotiate from a position of strength, not weakness,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a possible 2016...

Nashville, TN – Today, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham introduced the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The legislation currently has 33 cosponsors – but Senator Alexander is not one of them. Conservative Senate candidate Joe Carr called on Senator Alexander to change his stance and add himself as a co-sponsor. “I’m strongly pro-life and believe it’s imperative the Senate pass this important piece of legislation. When Senator Graham announced his co-sponsors and Senator Alexander’s name was missing, I was disappointed. I am hoping Senator Alexander will change his stance and add himself as a co-sponsor. This legislation is too...

Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander (R) Montana Senator Max Baucus (D) Alaska Senator Mark Begich (D) Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss (R) Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran (R) Maine Senator Susan Collins (R) Texas Senator John Cornyn (R) Massachusetts Senator William "Mo" Cowan (D) Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (D) Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi (R) Minnesota Senator Al Franken (DFL) South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham (R) North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan (D) Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (D) Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe (R) Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns (R) South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson (D) Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D) Michigan Senator Carl Levin (D) Kentucky...

A poll conducted by Harper Polling released today shows US Senator Lindsey Graham remains vulnerable and within the margin of error of being forced into a head-to-head runoff against a conservative challenger in the 2014 South Carolina Republican primary for re-election. Meanwhile, among those vying to replace Graham, South Carolina State Senator Lee Bright has broken away as the main challenger with more support than all others taking on Graham combined.

The State Department has no intention of providing Congress more witnesses to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, despite Sen. Lindsey Graham’s threat to hold up all nominations until he gets satisfaction on the issue. .... But the State Department won’t make more Benghazi witnesses available in response to Graham’s tactic, she said. “Our response is that we need to have these officials in place,” said Psaki. “That’s the only way to strengthen our interests overseas and to be able to represent our diplomatic agenda. It’s also is important for our security interests, which is...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham threatened Monday to hold up all nominations for federal government positions until survivors of last year's deadly attack on the diplomatic post in Libya appear before Congress. "Where are the #Benghazi survivors?" the South Carolina Republican said on his official Twitter account. "I'm going to block every appointment in the US Senate until they are made available to Congress."

As primary season rolls in, our Priority #1 must be to replace the abominations of RINOs in Red States with actual conservatives-- having an Obama-bootlicking liberal like Lindsey Graham in a state as solidly conservative as South Carolina, or a spineless wimp like Lamar Alexander in a reliably Red State like Tennessee, is even worse than dealing with a Democratic Senator. The Democrats could never win a Senate seat in such solidly Red States after all, so these are essential power bases for us to elect reliable conservative Republicans to carry the conservative standard through the socialist, Constitution-wrecking mess that...

If there is a country Saudi Arabia and Iran despise more than Israel, it’s each other. When it comes to Syria, Iran’s most prominent ally, the prospect of removing Bashar al-Assad has a pavlovian effect on the Saudis. ... Putin beat Barack Obama and John Kerry like a couple of drums. While Obama saw an opportunity to spin a resounding defeat into an opportunity to back down under the guise of a diplomatic stalemate as the preferred option, there were consequences. One of those consequences involves Saudi Arabia’s anger with the U.S. for not dealing with Assad. Consequences aren’t necessarily...

he Obama administration is not exactly instilling confidence among its Middle East allies. Saudi Arabia is threatening, according to multiple news reports, to “scale back its decades-old partnership with Washington over the Obama administration’s perceived weakness in dealing with Syrian leader Bashar Assad, and its recent furtive overtures with the Saudis’ arch-enemy, Iran.” Israel is obviously nervous, going to Canada (which, under Prime Minister Harper, has been a stalwart ally of the Jewish state) to stop a bad deal...

GUN RIGHTS ACROSS AMERICA NOT IMPRESSED BY GRAHAMS AR 15 PHOTO OP Upstate Senator Lee Bright picked up the second significant national endorsement in less than a week Wednesday – this one from Gun Rights Across America. “Gun Rights Across America stands for no compromise concerning our Second Amendment rights,” said the group in their endorsement statement. “We are proud to endorse state Senator Lee Bright, due to his unwavering and constitutional stance on Second Amendment liberties. Senator Bright would be a valuable asset in the US Senate and we fully support his candidacy.” Lee Bright enthusiastically embraced the announcement,...

Youtube clip of the best of audio clips from Lindsey Graham. He is a piece of work, isn't he? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_G3YWBPYpU&feature=share&list=UUIVOIu-W3jRE0S_Pv1TQ_Fg

The Talk Shows October 20th, 2013 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew; Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Mark Warner, D-Va. THIS WEEK (ABC): Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Cruz; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

To fully understand the state of play in the Republican party, look no further than Sens. Mike Enzi (WY) and Pat Roberts (KS). Both are reliable, mainstream conservatives, yet neither have a record of seeking a fight or standing on principle. Think Orrin Hatch, without the tab-collars. Both, however, stood with Ted Cruz in the fight over ObamaCare. Not coincidentally, both face serious primary challengers. Sen. Mike Enzi is being challenged by Liz Cheney, who criticizes his "go-along-to-get-along" approach to government. Sen. Pat Roberts, who helped guide HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius through the nomination process, is being challenged by doctor,...

The Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, has a curious habit of pulling despairing faces when marching his divided troops into battle. As he marched them back again on Wednesday, exhausted and bedraggled by their failed attempt to hold President Obama to ransom over his healthcare reforms, there is much of the same eye-rolling that characterised the start of their reluctant campaign. “We fought the good fight. We just didn’t win,” he told a radio interviewer. But not all Republicans think they can shrug off the past two weeks just as easily. Moderate senators Lindsey Graham and...

In the Republican Liberty Caucus’ endorsement of state Sen. Lee Bright for the U.S. Senate Wednesday, the group’s seemingly mild-mannered, genial state chairman stepped up to a podium here to offer particular praise not usually associated with the pugnacious politician he was feting. “The thing that really stands out for me is that he is a unifier. He can bring together the various aspects, the various segments of the Republican Party of South Carolina,” said RLC South Carolina chairman Scott Pearson. “And he can do that in a way that our incumbent is not able to do.” In just a...

EASLEY — An Easley man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty to mailing a death threat to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in 2012. U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said 32-year-old Easley resident Simon Peter Long will serve an 87-month prison sentence for the crime, which Long pled guilty too in June. Long was sentenced on Friday by Senior U.S. District Judge G. Ross Anderson. The case did not go to trial. According to Nettles, Long wrote a letter to Graham stating, “I’ve got a bullet with your name on it along with your family....