Republican Sen. Darline Graham has cashed $21,000 in checks from billionaires tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s world. The money came from Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, his wife Christine, and banking mogul Charles Schwab. Federal regulators flagged the checks as possibly over the legal limit. And it all landed weeks before she started running for a full term in South Carolina.
The Checks
Graham’s own campaign filings with the FEC show the money. Schwab gave $7,000 on July 31. Stephen and Christine Schwarzman gave $7,000 each on Aug. 4. All three gifts were routed through WinRed, the Republican fundraising platform.
That is $21,000 from three of the richest people in America. Graham was appointed to the seat this summer after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died. She had barely unpacked before the billionaire money started rolling in.
Schwarzman and the Epstein Club
Schwarzman runs Blackstone, one of the biggest private equity firms on Earth. He was an early member of the Core Club, an exclusive Manhattan club where Epstein was a founding member with deep ties to the owners. Sean Combs, now in prison, was also a member.
Schwarzman’s name shows up 23 times in the Epstein files the Justice Department released, according to reporting cited by American Journal News. To be clear, Schwarzman has not been accused of any crime. Appearing in the files is not proof of wrongdoing. But it is exactly the kind of company a Republican senator should be asked about.
Schwab’s $27.7 Million Wire
Charles Schwab’s company has its own Epstein problem. In the 10 days before Epstein’s 2019 arrest, the brokerage wired about $27.7 million on his behalf to a realtor in Morocco. Epstein was trying to buy a palace in Marrakesh. One transfer went out from an account that did not have enough money in it.
Morocco has no extradition treaty with the United States. The firm did flag the payments to Treasury regulators in July 2019. There is no reporting that Schwab himself handled the account. But his company moved the money, and now his money is moving to a Republican senator.
The FEC Flag
On Aug. 17, the Federal Election Commission sent Graham’s campaign a letter flagging “apparent excessive” contributions. All three $7,000 checks were on the list. Individuals can give a candidate $3,500 per election, so each check was double the limit.
Graham’s campaign says it handled it. Its treasurer told the FEC on Sept. 21 that every flagged check was reattributed or redesignated within the legal 60-day window. That is allowed under FEC rules. It does not change who wrote the checks.
Trump’s Pick
Graham is running with the full backing of Donald Trump. She was front and center at his rally in Pendleton, South Carolina, on Oct. 21. Trump’s own past with Epstein is laid out in the Epstein files, along with ties to people in his inner circle.
Democrats are already pouncing. A spokesperson for American Bridge 21st Century called Graham’s donations “abhorrent but not surprising in the least.” The group says her loyalty lies with the billionaire class, not South Carolina.
A Race on a Knife’s Edge
Graham faces Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, on Nov. 3. A Trafalgar Group poll taken Oct. 16-18 has Graham at 48.6% to Andrews at 45.6%. That is a three-point race in a state Trump won by 18.
A Democratic-aligned Impact Research poll has Andrews ahead, 45% to 44%. The same poll finds Graham underwater, with 52% of voters viewing her unfavorably. In a race this close, every Republican vulnerability matters.
The Bottom Line
Darline Graham has been a senator for about three months, and she already has billionaires from Epstein’s orbit writing her checks twice the legal limit. Her campaign shuffled the paperwork. The question South Carolina voters should ask is simple: why are these the people paying for her campaign?
Sources: American Journal News (Jesse Valentine); FEC filings for Darline for Senate; The Wall Street Journal (Rachel Louise Ensign, Joshua Chaffin); Reuters (Naomi Rovnick, Brad Heath, Nivedita Balu); PBS NewsHour; Trafalgar Group; Impact Research; American Bridge 21st Century.