Politics

Jessica Tarlov Suggests Russians or Iranians May Have Poisoned Lindsey Graham

Raging Moderates · Remembering Lindsey Graham’s HYPOCRISY · July 13, 2026

Raging Moderates

Remembering Lindsey Graham’s HYPOCRISY

"He is with Zelensky on Friday in a drone factory, and Lindsey Graham, he— if there's one principle that he never abandoned, it was support for the Western alliance and for the Ukrainians. So the idea that he is side by side with Zelensky on Friday, a few days before that, the Iranian— they don't like Lindsey Graham much, and he's obviously pushing for war there. The guy comes home and just goes into cardiac arrest. I was living in London when the Russians poisoned the former spy Litvinenko. I'm like, I don't know, this timing's really strange."

Co-host Jessica Tarlov floated a conspiracy theory that Russian or Iranian agents may have poisoned Senator Lindsey Graham, citing his meeting with Zelensky days before his sudden death and his hawkish foreign policy positions. She referenced the 2006 Litvinenko poisoning in London as precedent. Co-host Scott Galloway dismissed the theory, saying Graham was a 71-year-old in poor shape who likely had a heart attack.

About this episode

In this episode of Raging Moderates recorded after the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham at age 71, hosts Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov wrestle with the senator's complex legacy and the cascading political crisis facing Senate Republicans. Graham died Saturday following what was described as a brief illness, just days after meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky at a drone factory. Tarlov floated a conspiracy theory that Russian or Iranian agents may have poisoned Graham given his hawkish foreign policy positions, though Galloway dismissed this as unlikely, attributing the death to natural causes in an out-of-shape 71-year-old. The more substantive discussion centered on Graham's legacy. Galloway delivered a sharp critique, arguing that while Graham deserves recognition for public service, history will judge him harshly for being a closeted gay man who benefited from LGBTQ rights won by courageous activists while voting against those same rights for others. He called this a profound failure of gratitude and integrity, saying Graham privatized the benefits of courage others paid for. The hosts also raised serious questions about Senate Majority dynamics, with both Graham and Mitch McConnell now unavailable to vote. They accused McConnell's office of potentially faking a proof-of-life photo that may be AI-generated, noting his wife left for China days after his hospitalization and no video evidence of his condition has been provided. They suggest Republicans are covering up McConnell's incapacitation to prevent Kentucky's Democratic governor from appointing a replacement under a law that takes effect August 3rd. The episode also addressed the Maine Senate race crisis, where Democratic candidate Graham Plattner withdrew following credible rape accusations. Tarlov expressed regret for not being more vocally uncomfortable with Plattner earlier, while Galloway argued Democrats handled the situation appropriately by forcing him out immediately, contrasting this with Republicans' tolerance of Donald Trump despite being found liable for sexual assault. Both hosts called for age limits and term limits in Congress, with Galloway arguing that too many octogenarians clinging to power represents a failure of succession planning that would be unacceptable in any other institution.

Key takeaways

Scott Galloway argued Senator Lindsey Graham's legacy will be tarnished for being a closeted gay man who opposed LGBTQ rights while benefiting from freedoms won by activists who risked their lives and careers.
Jessica Tarlov suggested Russian or Iranian intelligence may have poisoned Lindsey Graham days after he met with Zelensky, though Scott Galloway dismissed this as conspiracy thinking.
The hosts accused Mitch McConnell's office of potentially using AI to fake a proof-of-life photo and covering up his incapacitation to block Kentucky's Democratic governor from appointing a replacement.
With both Graham and McConnell unable to vote, Republicans face a razor-thin Senate majority that threatens confirmation votes including Todd Blanche for Attorney General this week.
Jessica Tarlov expressed regret for not being more vocally critical of Maine Senate candidate Graham Plattner earlier, saying she moved to political strategy too quickly when character flaws were evident.
Scott Galloway argued Democrats handled the Plattner situation correctly by forcing him out immediately after credible rape accusations, contrasting this with Republican tolerance of Trump's sexual assault liability.
Both hosts called for mandatory age limits and term limits in Congress, with Galloway saying octogenarians clinging to power represents institutional failure that would be unacceptable in corporate America.