A left-wing comedian is facing intense backlash after claiming she delivered a cake carrying a cruel message to the Capitol Hill office of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-KY) just days after his sudden death. Elizabeth Booker Houston directed the message at Graham’s younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, as she prepared to complete the remainder of her brother’s Senate term. The cake congratulated Nordone on her new position while Houston’s accompanying post declared that Graham was “burning in hell.” Houston then accused the grieving sister of going to work “for the devil.”
The stunt unfolded Tuesday, the same day Nordone was sworn in to finish her brother’s term following his death at age 71. Graham died Saturday night after what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness,” stunning lawmakers and political observers in Washington. The attack carried an especially personal edge because Graham helped raise Nordone after their parents died while the two were young. She was therefore mourning the death of both her brother and the man who had stepped forward to care for her during their childhood.
Houston announced the alleged delivery in a post on X and included a photograph of the cake. “I just dropped this cake off at Lindsey Graham’s office,” she wrote. “Congratudolences, Darline! Your brother is burning in hell, and now, you’re working for the devil!” The photograph showed a rectangular cake decorated with a printed image of Graham smiling while wearing a suit and tie.
As Trending Politics News reported, the cake had white frosting around its edges and several blue icing roses placed across the top. Above Graham’s photograph, the baker had written “CONGRATUDOLENCES!” in large blue letters. The word combined “congratulations” with “condolences,” apparently mocking the circumstances under which Nordone entered the Senate.
Houston said she had personally dropped the cake off at Graham’s office, though the report did not independently confirm whether the office accepted it or whether Nordone ever saw it. Houston nevertheless presented the delivery as complete and publicized it for her followers. The post quickly spread across X as users reacted to the decision to target a recently bereaved woman over her brother’s political career. Some of Houston’s followers applauded the stunt, but many others condemned it as needlessly cruel.
One supporter told Houston, “You’re truly doing god’s work.” Another person wrote, “Elizabeth, I love you. When I grow up I want to be just like you.” Those responses were joined by others celebrating a message that directly mocked Graham’s death and his sister’s grief. Critics, however, pushed back against the idea that political opposition to Graham justified sending such a message to his office immediately after he died.
See Houston’s post and the cake she claimed to have delivered here:
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https://x.com/booker_squared/status/2077136282807828974
“You really need a different hobby if you were so invested in politics that this is what you resort to,” one critic wrote. The user added, “Good thing I wasn’t there because you would’ve been wearing your cake.” Another person predicted that the cake would never reach Graham’s sister or anyone else important in the office. “It’s funny that you think anyone will see that cake other than the intern who throws it away. Complete waste of time and money,” the user wrote.
Graham’s death had been announced only a few days before Houston posted the photograph. A preliminary autopsy suggested that the South Carolina Republican died from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Graham had remained active in the Senate and was scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” the morning after his death. His office cautioned that the official cause and manner of death would remain pending until additional examinations were completed.
“The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized, and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” Graham’s office said. Nordone was sworn in Tuesday to serve the rest of the term left vacant by her brother’s death. Graham’s role in raising his younger sister after the deaths of their parents had long been part of his public life, adding another layer to the personal nature of Houston’s stunt. As one critic told Houston, “Get a life. I wasn’t a fan of Lindsey, but this is ridiculous. Your hatred is rotting your brain.”