Recorded Footage Reveals Private Coordination Between Late Senator Graham and Prime Minister Netanyahu Over I.C.C. Investigation
Recently uncovered documentary footage reveals that the late Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina worked privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to orchestrate a bipartisan legislative rebuke of the International Court investigation into the prime minister shortly before the 2024 election. Captured by British filmmaker Alex Holder as part of roughly 400 hours of recorded material for a planned project titled “Lindsey’s Game,” the discussions took place on October 29 as Mr. Graham campaigned in Ohio alongside Donald Trump Jr. for Senate candidate Bernie Moreno. The communications underscore the deep alignment between the two figures during a critical juncture leading into the election that returned Donald J. Trump to the presidency.
Conversations Detail Strategy to Delay Arrest Warrant Amid Prosecutor Scrutiny
During the recorded calls, Mr. Netanyahu detailed a pending decision by a three-judge panel regarding potential war crimes charges recommended earlier in 2024 by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim A. A. Khan. Noting that Mr. Khan faced sexual misconduct allegations—which led to his subsequent removal from office by the court’s oversight body—the prime minister suggested that the resulting controversy could provide a basis to delay the arrest warrant and demand a formal review of the judicial process. Responding to Mr. Netanyahu’s suggestion to mobilize congressional support, Mr. Graham successfully secured commitments from Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ben Cardin of Maryland to sign a protest letter, joking to the prime minister during a later call that he should be paid in “tons of shekels” for his efforts.
Bipartisan Congressional Letter Criticizes Court Proceedings and Highlights Normalization Goals
The resulting bipartisan letter, released on November 1, 2024, with input from Mr. Blumenthal and Mr. Cardin, contended that the I.C.C. failed to comply with legal procedures by bypassing a scheduled consultation with Israeli representatives prior to seeking the arrest warrant. In exchange for securing the Democratic signatures, Mr. Graham requested that the prime minister personally call Senators Blumenthal and Cardin to acknowledge their fairness and express appreciation for their support regarding Saudi-Israeli normalization. While spokespersons for Mr. Netanyahu and Senator Cardin did not respond to requests for comment, Mr. Blumenthal declined to address questions regarding his communications with Mr. Graham.
Washington Funeral and Regional Talks Follow Public Stances on Legal Immunity
Prime Minister Netanyahu traveled to Washington on Tuesday to attend Senator Graham’s funeral and hold discussions with President Trump concerning the escalating conflict involving Iran. Despite the active I.C.C. arrest warrant, Israeli officials have consistently dismissed the proceedings as politically motivated. The diplomatic fallout also intersected with local municipal politics when New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani initially reviewed whether city authorities possessed the authority to execute an arrest before concluding that officials held no such power, while President Trump separately declared that the prime minister would not be detained.
