Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is facing harsh criticism from some of his GOP colleagues for a recent trip he and fellow lawmaker Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut took to Ukraine in late May.
And one Republican leader is calling for Graham to be arrested for the move.
Here’s what happened, and what it all means for Graham — and U.S. relations with Ukraine.
Graham and Blumenthal met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late May to discuss strengthening sanctions against Russia, according to a CNN report.
Their visit came just days after Russia launched its biggest aerial assault against Ukraine since the start of the war, and as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Moscow to end their three-year invasion.
The visit also happened around the same time as a stunning Ukrainian drone attack inside Russia crippled a large portion of the Russian bomber fleet.
Graham publicly praised Ukraine’s use of drone warfare tactics and called for stronger action against Russia.
Graham and Blumenthal are co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill to impose more sanctions on Russia – a move that has gained support among a number of Republican lawmakers in recent weeks as Moscow has repeatedly dismissed Trump’s peace overtures.
Asked by reporters if he would support the bill, President Trump responded: “I don’t know, I’ll have to see it. I’ll take a look at it.”
Graham said that he had talked with Trump before his trip and the US president expects “concrete action” from Moscow.
However, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon doubled down on Graham and the lawmaker’s vocal support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
In an interview on NewsNation’s “Cuomo,” Bannon said Graham was giving Ukrainians “false hope” by meeting with the country’s president and by suggesting the U.S. support Kyiv’s stunning drone attack on Russia’s strategic bombing fleet.
“We can’t have Lindsey Graham, and particularly Zelensky, leading us into a third world war with a deep strike into Russia,” Bannon told host Chris Cuomo.
The comments come after Bannon called for Graham to be jailed for his pro-Ukraine stance.
Cuomo repeatedly challenged Bannon to back up that request during the interview.
“I don’t understand how you could want to jail a U.S. senator because he’s saying something you don’t like,” the NewsNation host said, adding, “That sounds like the worst of the deep state and lawfare.”
Bannon responded, “No, it’s absolutely — what he’s doing over there right now is stirring it up. He’s giving the Ukrainians false hope.”
Cuomo chimed in, “But it’s not illegal.”
Bannon continued, “He’s giving Ukrainians false hope that we’re there to support them on engaging Russia in a kinetic conflict. And we are not.”
Cuomo continued to press Bannon about why he thinks Graham should be jailed.
“So maybe he’s wrong, but why do you say throw him in jail?” he said.
“Two things ought to happen: Either cancel his passport and don’t let him back in the country, or put him in jail if he comes back,” Bannon responded, adding, “The attack was audacious.”
“It was brilliant. But the problem is it gets us involved in a conflict that no one in the United States wants to be part of,” he added.
Cuomo noted that he didn’t necessarily disagree with the former strategist’s opinion.
“I’m just saying you can’t be throwing people in jail because you don’t like what they say. That’s my only point,” he told Bannon.
“I’m not saying that you’re wrong about where this might lead and how dangerous it is.”
The likelihood of Graham being detained is slim. However, the next step will be how Trump responds to the bill pushing for harder sanctions against Russia.