Posted on 08/20/2026 7:09:45 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
South Carolina’s Sen. Darline Graham (R) defended her headline-making debate performance — in which she blurted out “I’m not that informed on national security” — by insisting she was just “being honest.”
Graham, 62, was appointed to finish out her brother Lindsey Graham’s term after the elder’s sudden July 11 death at age 71, and is running for a shot at the full term this fall after being endorsed by President Donald Trump.
While Lindsey Graham was a well-known foreign policy hawk who spent decades in Congress, his sister tried to backpedal during a Wednesday appearance on Fox News’ Hannity, telling anchor Sean Hannity she’s “not a politician”:
SEAN HANNITY: So this issue of Taiwan came up last night, and I know people have made a big deal about it. I’m like, I wonder how many people around the country if I gave them a map could pick out Taiwan. I don’t think many, I mean, whole country. Never mind South Carolina.
DARLINE GRAHAM: Right. I think you’re 100 percent right, Sean, and, you know, I tripped up on one question last night, regarding Taiwan.
But, you know, I have said many times, I’m not a politician. Certainly not a career politician. I don’t speak politician. You know I was just honest, and I think that’s kind of a foreign concept but I talked to several people today.
I traveled around the state, and they said, you know, we appreciated the fact that you were honest, and I did say several times that, you know, China is our enemy, our military and economic threat to the United States.
Of course, Taiwan is our friend. But I think people in South Carolina are more worried about making ends meet. They are concerned about boys in girls sports.
One lady talked to me extensively about that today. They are concerned about the Second Amendment. They are concerned about the SAVE America act. Illegal immigration. So they are concerned about a lot of other things other than Taiwan.
Hannity then went on to suggest Graham “probably” knows “everything about the Middle East” because of Lindsey Graham’s frequent trips to the region, adding, “And I know you know a lot about Europe and the Ukraine-Russia situation because he went to Ukraine more than any other senator.”
Graham’s major flub came when moderator and Newsmax host Greta Van Susteren asked, “Senator, are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States? If so, why?”
Van Susteren later claimed on her Newsmax show The Record that she wished she hadn’t asked the question and slammed the media for covering the story.
“The media thinks that this one question is so important to only talk about that and ignore the other 19 questions, which are 40 answers. The ad nauseam repeating and replaying today of one answer by Sen. Darline Graham makes the media look bad. That was certainly not her entire contribution to last night’s debate.”
‘I Don’t Speak Politician’
Let me finish her answer: “I Don’t Speak Politician because I know any issues and hardly ever talked to my brother.”
“The dog ate my homework!”
‘I Don’t Speak Politician’
Could be a good thing by not being Brainwashed ,LOL
She should drop out immediately.
Sean spent a bit too much time with Lindsey.
Sean Hannity is to talk radio as Will Ferrell is to comedy.
Perhaps I should say that Sean Hannity is to talk radio as Darline Graham (Nordone) is to the Senate, but hopefully she will never be there.
Now let’s be fair. We just read a story about a remarkable young man who did not speak until he was 11 years old and then became a Cambridge professor. Maybe Darline didn’t speak until she was 50 and now has risen to become a US Senate candidate.
How charming!
[[‘I Don’t Speak Politician’]]
That’s a defense? Sounds more like an admission that she is in the wrong business
Ain’t nepotism wonderful.
Yup...I wrote the same yesterday.
Well Darline, a Senate seat is a 6 year term.
If it were a House seat, she might be okay because if she stinks, she would get voted out after 2 years.
But this is asking too much to vote for her because being Linda’s sister isn’t a reason to give someone a 6 year Senate seat.
Donald Trump didn’t ‘Speak Politician,’ either. But he was a smart, hard-working, well informed man.
Oh no, she didn’t have a canned answer on Taiwan, run for the hills. I wish more Senators would stop pretending they actually know the right thing to do on every topic. People who are into politics don’t get that no one is going to care about this in the end. Same with AOC sounding like a moron over seas and Gretchen saying she doesn’t know much about foreign affairs. Why would she as Governor or Michigan?
I didn’t watch the debate, but this woman is 62 years old. If she hasn’t taken notice of what’s going on in the world, and formed her own opinions on things at the age she is now, then she’s clueless. I’m a woman and just turned 79. If she didn’t sit down with her brother’s staff and aides to go over topics that his office dealt with, prior to the debate, then she’s useless, and shouldn’t be running for office.
Some think she lost the election with that answer.
I say she won it.
We’ll see who the people of South Carolina agree with.
Are you kidding...He’s probably spoken before more Town, City, foreign political Boards than anyone in the country.
The only possible defense would be Greta said if you watched the whole debate that one answer didn’t reflect her answering 20 questions.
Interesting isn’t it that AOC who spends time in Congress and traveled overseas couldn’t answer a question about Taiwan.
I really think the average person does not understand what idiots most politicians are.
I think you’re right on that!
Trump’s endorsement of her is just pathetic
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