Late Sen. Lindsey Graham Accused of Paying Male Escorts for Sex, Including Alleged 17-Year-Old

Three men have accused the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of paying them for sex in a new documentary, including one who claims he was 17 when the South Carolina lawmaker paid him $120 for a sexual encounter in Arizona in 2001.

The CLOSETocracy, released Thursday, October 22, 2026, by Swamp Watch Studios and distributed through The Young Turks, features allegations involving encounters in Arizona and Washington, D.C., between 2001 and 2015. The film also examines Graham's record opposing LGBTQ+ rights legislation during his more than three decades in Congress. Graham died July 11 at age 71, three months before the documentary's release.

The accusations remain unverified. Although the filmmakers published 24 supporting records, including travel documents, archived materials and congressional records, the evidence does not independently establish that Graham participated in the alleged encounters.

One interviewee, identified only as Kelvin, says he met Graham at a property under construction in Arizona in July 2001, when the Republican was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kelvin claims he was 17 and working as an escort to support himself financially.

During the alleged encounter, Graham questioned whether Kelvin was 17 and asked to see identification, according to Kelvin's account. Kelvin says he refused to produce an ID and insisted he had recently turned 18. He claims Graham proceeded with the encounter and left him $120.

Kelvin also describes noticing a blinking red light that made him suspect he was being recorded. He alleges that Graham asked him to state his age aloud, prompting further concern about a possible camera. The filmmakers have published no authenticated recording of the alleged encounter.

Arizona law criminalizes certain sexual conduct involving minors, making Kelvin's claimed age and the circumstances of the alleged meeting particularly significant. Whether any criminal statute could have applied to the alleged conduct would depend on the law in effect in 2001, the evidence supporting the account and any applicable defenses.

Another participant, Cory Burns, an adult film performer known professionally as Sean Harding, alleges that a chauffeur transported him to Washington's Mayflower Hotel for a $1,500 overnight appointment in 2015. Burns says he later recognized his client as Graham after seeing the senator on television during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Burns first attracted attention in June 2020 when he posted allegations about an unnamed Republican senator who regularly hired male escorts while supporting legislation opposed by LGBTQ+ advocates. Using the initials "LG," he encouraged other sex workers to come forward and shared posts identifying Graham. His statements helped fuel online speculation about the senator years before the documentary's release.

A third interviewee, identified as Jesse, describes meeting Graham at Washington's Beacon Hotel in October 2012. Jesse claims the senator paid him $260 for sex. The filmmakers also list a second alleged encounter at a Days Inn in January 2014, bringing Jesse's claimed payments to $510, although details of that meeting are absent from the publicly released interview footage.

The accusations have renewed scrutiny of Graham's legislative record, including his opposition to same-sex marriage and his 2010 vote against repealing the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which barred openly gay service members. He also voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 2013 and opposed the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, which established federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages.

Swamp Watch juxtaposes Graham's public positions with the men's accounts, presenting the allegations as evidence of a possible divide between his private conduct and political record. The filmmakers' supporting materials include records placing Graham in relevant cities around the dates of some alleged encounters, but the documents do not establish that the meetings occurred.

The documentary's release also comes ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, when Graham's sister, Republican Sen. Darline Graham, is seeking to retain the South Carolina Senate seat she was appointed to fill after his death. When approached about the allegations in footage included in the film, she dismissed the question and walked away.

The timing has drawn criticism from political commentators, including Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet, who argued that speculation about Graham's sexuality had circulated for years and questioned efforts to connect the documentary to his sister's campaign.

Despite the filmmakers' collection of documents, the central allegations still rest on the men's accounts. The published materials do not independently verify Kelvin's age, the alleged payments, or Graham's involvement in the encounters. No criminal investigation connected to the documentary has been publicly confirmed.