Graham Criticized for Disney Visit Amid Shutdown

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina drew widespread criticism after photographs emerged of him dining at a Disney World restaurant in Florida, even as a partial government shutdown over Department of Homeland Security funding entered its seventh week, leaving thousands of federal workers without pay.

The images, published by TMZ on Sunday, showed the 70-year-old Republican senator at Chef Mickey's inside the Contemporary Resort in Orlando. Graham was pictured at a character breakfast buffet, where Disney figures interact with guests. An eyewitness described him chatting with staff and others at nearby tables before joining the line for food. The visit occurred amid reports of severe disruptions at U.S. airports, where unpaid Transportation Security Administration officers have faced financial hardships, including selling plasma, seeking food assistance and picking up second jobs.

Graham defended the trip in a statement to TMZ, saying he had attended a meeting in South Florida on Friday with Steve Witkoff, a Trump administration official, to discuss potential normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. "I went to Orlando to meet friends after. I'm already...