A new series of attacks against U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) were launched on Friday by Representative John Rose (R-TN-06), who is not seeking reelection as he instead pursues a gubernatorial campaign, as Graham threatened to derail a spending bill to keep the government open in a bid to pass federal legislation against sanctuary cities.
Rose wrote in one post to X that Graham “is no better than the Democrats,” and elsewhere claimed he is truly motivated by an excised provision that would have allowed senators to sue the federal government for spying during the Biden administration.
He wrote of Graham, “he’s furious that the House voted again last week, unanimously, to repeal a corrupt payout scheme that stuffs senators’ pockets with more than $500,000 each in taxpayer money.”
The attacks come only weeks after Graham attended a reception to raise money for Rose’s last chief of staff, former U.S. Representative Van Hilleary, who is currently campaigning for Rose’s seat in Congress, according to an invitation obtained by The Tennessee Star on Friday.
According to the invitation, Graham and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) attended the fundraising reception on December 10.
Those seeking to host the event were suggested to contribute $1,000 per person, or $2,500 per political action committee (PAC). Those contributing as standard attendees were suggested to donate $500 per person and $1,000 per PAC.
Donors were instructed to write checks to Van for Tennessee, the Virginia-based committee for Hilleary’s current congressional campaign.
Despite the recent criticism from Rose, the congressman’s former chief of staff appears to have maintained a relationship with Graham for decades, as the men were contemporaries and political allies in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 1990s.
Graham even revealed he and Hilleary were roommates during a 1995 speech in the House, and just five years later, The Los Angeles Times reported the pair of then-bachelors had purchased a Washington, D.C. townhome, where they helped plot the failed attempt to remove Newt Gingrich from his role as Speaker of the House in 1997.
“We were both part of the attempted Newt Gingrich coup,” Hilleary told the newspaper, adding that he and Graham “talked about it quite a bit” at their shared townhome.
Donor records from the 1990s, tracked by OpenSecrets, additionally reveal that Graham donated at least $2,500 to Hilleary’s congressional campaign in 1995.
Hilleary ultimately left Congress to run for Governor of Tennessee in 2002, when he narrowly lost the election to former Governor Phil Bredesen. He currently faces a crowded primary campaign with at least four competitors, including State Representative Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville) and Brad Gaines, the father of professional athlete and activist Riley Gaines.
In his October 2025 report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Hilleary announced that he raised more than $600,000 to support his comeback bid.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Lindsey Graham” by Lindsey Graham.
