Thursday’s statement by the Senate Ethics Committee stated that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) violated Senate rules when he asked for donations to Hershel Walker’s Senate campaign in Georgia.

The panel’s Democratic Chair Chris Coons, Delaware, and GOP Vice Chair James Lankford, Oklahoma, stated that Graham broke Senate rules when he solicited money in the Russell Senate Office building’s rotunda. It is against Senate rules that campaign donations be sought in federal buildings.

According to the committee, the interview lasted approximately nine minutes and was dominated by a discussion about the Georgia run-off of 2022 between Walker, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Graham. Graham solicited campaign contributions “five times.”

The ethics panel sent Graham an “admonishment”, but did not sanction him in its letter.

They wrote that the public should feel secure in knowing that the Members only use public resources for official actions in America’s best interests, and not for political activities. Your actions did not uphold this standard and caused damage to the trust and confidence of the United States Senate. “You are hereby warned.”

Graham replied, “It was a mistake. I accept responsibility. I will do my best to improve the future.

Graham was also a repeat offenders, according to the panel. He had requested donations during an impromptu interview with media in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on October 2020.

Coons and Lankford wrote, “In response to an inquiry regarding your reelection fundraising campaign, you directly solicited contributions for your campaign committee.”

Coons and Lankford claimed that they considered “several mitigating elements” in the 2020 complaint. They determined that Graham’s conduct had been “inadvertently technical or otherwise of a minimal nature.” They dismissed the complaint and privately informed Graham of their findings.