Meghan McCain says Sen. Lindsey Graham ‘is not and hasn’t been’ a member of her family ‘for a very long time’

Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), on Wednesday sharply rebuked Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a onetime close family friend who she has previously likened to an “uncle.” “Lindsey Graham may consider himself a member of my family, but he is not and hasn’t been for a very long time,” McCain tweeted Wednesday morning. “He certainly doesn’t speak for me or my life experiences. Full stop. The media should stop treating him like he is an expert on anything McCain related.” Graham’s office declined to comment on McCain’s tweet. The statement from McCain comes amid a renewed debate over the attendance of former president Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law at John McCain’s 2018 funeral.

In her new book, “Bad Republican,” Meghan McCain calls Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner “funeral crashers.” But Graham, the late McCain’s close friend turned loyal Trump defender, has argued that “their presence was approved.” “She was upset they were there — I understand that, and she has hard feelings but I know what happened and nobody showed up uninvited,” Graham told The Washington Post earlier this week. “I love Meghan McCain and I understand how stressful all this has been for her and those who attack her dad will never be forgiven by her.” The New York Times reported at the time that Graham “had cleared” the couple’s invitation “with the senator’s widow.” A person close to Kushner and Ivanka Trump told The Post this week that the couple was invited by McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, via Graham. Emails reviewed by The Washington Post indicated the funeral organizers were aware the senior White House aides would be attending the funeral and were in touch with the Secret Service to provide logistical guidance for their arrival.