Title:

Graham and Netanyahu Worked Together to Denounce International Criminal Court

Subtitle:

Senator Lindsey Graham helped to coordinate a group of lawmakers to rebuke the I.C.C., which was investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

It begins with the following - though the entire article is a worthwhile - if depressing - read:

Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died this month at 71, worked privately with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to coordinate a bipartisan group of lawmakers to denounce the International Criminal Court investigation into Mr. Netanyahu just before the 2024 election, footage of their discussions shows.

The conversations were among roughly 400 hours recorded by the British filmmaker Alex Holder, who trailed Mr. Graham for roughly four years for a planned documentary project titled “Lindsey’s Game.” The footage of two discussions with Mr. Netanyahu about rebuking the I.C.C. was reviewed by The New York Times.

The calls took place just days before the 2024 election, on Oct. 29, as Mr. Graham was in Ohio, where he was campaigning with Donald Trump Jr. for Bernie Moreno in a Senate race, according to Mr. Holder.

The discussions underscore the significance of the relationship between Mr. Graham and Mr. Netanyahu and its impact, including with the senator’s colleagues. The two men were days away from an election that would return Donald J. Trump to the White House. Mr. Graham was a valuable interlocutor for Mr. Netanyahu even before that, but the call took place as the prime minister was prepared to discuss with Mr. Trump waging an increasingly expansive war against Iran.