Sen. Graham stops repeal of payout that may reap him millions

Erik Wasson and Steven T. Dennis, Bloomberg News on Nov 20, 2025

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WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham blocked an attempt to repeal a controversial provision tucked into the bill ending the U.S. government shutdown that could reap him and several other Republican senators millions by allowing them to sue the Justice Department over telephone record seizures during the 2020 election interference probe.

Graham, one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in the Senate, told Fox News on Monday he planned to sue for “tens of millions” of dollars from it, a windfall far exceeding his $174,000 annual salary. The South Carolinian, who is up for reelection next year, later told reporters he plans to keep some of the money and also intends to sue Verizon for cooperating with the investigation.

“The idea that I am backing off and am going to let this go, forget that,” Graham said Thursday on the Senate floor.

The foiled attempt to get a unanimous agreement followed a 426 to 0 House vote to repeal the provision, which would have provided a $500,000 payment for each infraction incurred during a special counsel investigation. Senate Republicans have defended the language despite mounting pressure to repeal it after the House vote.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune tried to pass a new provision that would prohibit senators from keeping any monetary damages they are awarded. Democrats objected.

Earlier Thursday, Thune said Republicans are discussing a new approach on the lawsuits. Graham said he would like to expand the provision, which currently only applies to senators. Other conservatives have said it’s unfair that senators be the only ones to benefit.

Lawyers for Jack Smith, the former special counsel who brought two cases against Trump, have defended his role in collecting and analyzing lawmakers’ call records as part of his inquiry into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

The subpoenaed materials, known as “toll records,” detail when, to whom and how long calls were placed. They don’t reveal the substance of conversations. Smith’s lawyers wrote that Republicans had “falsely” claimed that his office “spied” on, “tapped” or “surveilled” members of Congress.