In just about six hours of whirlwind action, Graham bounced from the Russell Senate Office Building to the Capitol, met up with a bunch of Republicans, went to the White House, hustled back to make some afternoon votes and then held a 30-minute news conference denouncing Pelosi and Schiff.
In between each task, he held court in at least a half-dozen scrums with the media, all but one of which involved the senator roaming freely in the Capitol without an aide monitoring what he said or guiding him to his next appointment.
In the White House Situation Room, the GOP senators spent a little more than an hour with top military leaders laying out an emerging plan for trying to leave some troops in Syria.
Great conversation about Syria and the complexities of it, Graham told reporters back in the Capitol. I learned a lot about the presidents thinking I quite frankly didnt know. Thats odd, as much as we talk.
Graham uses Trumps infatuation with Syrian oil fields to try to nudge him to leave enough troops to help the United States Kurdish allies, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, fight Islamic State forces.
You know, the oil is a key asset, Trump told Graham.
Okay, okay, lets keep talking here, Graham replied, according to his account. If the money goes to the right people, the SDF, thats a good thing. And it keeps the ISIS fight going. Mr. President, the oil field wont guard itself.
Graham seemed to acknowledge that he is not sure Trump will sign off on the plan. I see a plan in place that could work. Whether or not its approved, I dont know, he told reporters after the meeting.
The price Graham, and the other nine senators, had to pay is listening to Trump repeat himself, about the Russia investigation and now the impeachment inquiry about his effort to push Ukraine to investigate Hunter Bidens dealings there.
After the Syria briefing, the group grabbed lunch together, with beef as the main entree and a large serving of impeachment grievances.
The bulk of the lunch 40, 45 minutes was the president saying, I didnt do anything wrong, Graham explained.
All this help still hasnt won total loyalty with Trump and his closest allies. They have been complaining that Graham, who is up for reelection next year, will not open investigations designed to help Trump.
The president lashed out during a news conference two weeks ago. Lindsey should focus on Judiciary, Trump said, suggesting several investigations that would help him.
Graham told reporters he would not turn the Senate into a circus. He later said that he also had a quick huddle with acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, a friend of Grahams from his days as a South Carolina congressman.
He told Mulvaney to staff up a better messaging operation to defend Trump.
Did Mulvaney ask Graham to do anything more?
No, I think Im doing my part, Graham said.
Hes no longer worried about getting sucked into the drama.