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South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, reportedly insinuated under oath that the president occasionally cheats at his favorite game: golf.
Graham reportedly made the revelation during his 2022 grand jury testimony in Georgia. The Republican lawmaker was among several who were called to testify regarding Trump’s election interference case in the state.
In testimony transcripts, obtained by the New York Times this week, Graham not only indicated that Trump refused to accept the 2020 presidential election results but also refused to accept losing a golf game.
When asked whether Trump cheated at golf, Graham replied: “Some people say you may outdrive him, but you’re not going to outdrive his caddy. It is what it is.”
The Independent has asked Graham’s office for comment.
Trump is well-known for his love of golf, and while the president has been said to play quite well, there have long been allegations that he receives some assistance.
In 2016, actor Samuel L. Jackson accused the president of cheating at the game. In 2018, LPGA player Suzann Pettersen said the president “cheats like hell,” though Pettersen later denied making the comments.
Trump’s alleged cheating was even the subject of Rick Reilly’s book, Commander in Cheat.
“At Winged Foot, where Trump is a member, the caddies got so used to seeing him kick his ball back onto the fairway they came up with a nickname for him: Pele,” Reilly wrote, referring to the Brazilian soccer star.
The cheating allegations were heightened in July when a video of Trump playing golf in Scotland went viral. The clip appeared to show Trump’s caddy walking ahead of the president and dropping his ball closer to the fairway. Some interpreted it as a violation of the rules of golf, which generally say to play the ball where it lies.
Trump has consistently denied cheating at golf.
The newly-obtained grand jury testimony transcript also indicated Graham did not buy into Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Graham told grand jurors that “if you told [Trump] martians came and stole votes, he’d be inclined to believe it.”
In a statement to the New York Times, Graham called the Georgia election interference case a “politically driven hit job.”
“I made it clear, then and now, that President Trump sincerely believed the election was stolen. We had our differences on this point.”
