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Lawmakers Get a Taste of the Celebrity Lifestyle, Ruthless TMZ Paparazzi

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to the cameras as he arrives at a hearing. (Bill Clark/Getty Images)

Virginia Grace McKinnon / @virginiagmck

Virginia Grace McKinnon is a journalism fellow at The Daily Signal. Send an email to Virginia Grace.

It’s often said that Washington, D.C., is Hollywood for ugly people. Well, Congress is finally getting the Hollywood treatment it has been longing for.

While lawmakers are on spring break, the entertainment news outlet TMZ has joined the scrum that is covering news on Capitol Hill.

As members of Congress left Washington, D.C., for a two-weeklong recess without reopening the Department of Homeland Security, some got the full TMZ celebrity treatment.

?? TMZ has photos of members of Congress living it up while the chaos back home drags on.From Disney World to Las Vegas, lawmakers on both sides are kicking back as the government stays shut down and federal workers go unpaid.When is enough enough? pic.twitter.com/siScwWMCmq— TMZ (@TMZ) March 30, 2026

?? TMZ has photos of members of Congress living it up while the chaos back home drags on.From Disney World to Las Vegas, lawmakers on both sides are kicking back as the government stays shut down and federal workers go unpaid.When is enough enough? pic.twitter.com/siScwWMCmq

From Bubble Wands to the Betting Tables

TMZ lit the internet on fire when it obtained videos capturing national politicians “living it up” on spring break. 

It started with a video of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at Disney World, carrying a bubble wand in the princess castle and taking a ride on Space Mountain. Graham told TMZ he was there visiting friends. “I voted seven times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat,” he said.

Lindsey Graham lives it up at Disney World during the partial government shutdown!Take a look: https://t.co/MuKOLhjQX4 pic.twitter.com/RKX665BPCt— TMZ (@TMZ) March 30, 2026

Lindsey Graham lives it up at Disney World during the partial government shutdown!Take a look: https://t.co/MuKOLhjQX4 pic.twitter.com/RKX665BPCt

Meanwhile, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., was spotted sitting at a casino bar in Las Vegas.

While the internet blew it up, Garcia responded to the backlash. “Actually, I don’t mind what TMZ is doing here,” he wrote, explaining that he had just finished lunch with his dad, who has lived in Las Vegas for 15 years. “Like I said a few days ago, Speaker Mike Johnson should have never sent us all home,” he concluded. 

Robert Garcia hits up a Las Vegas casino after Congress fails to reopen the government. ? https://t.co/ZJqWZJpepO pic.twitter.com/AOulZoshgr— TMZ (@TMZ) March 30, 2026

Robert Garcia hits up a Las Vegas casino after Congress fails to reopen the government. ? https://t.co/ZJqWZJpepO pic.twitter.com/AOulZoshgr

The next targets of the TMZ “paparazzi” were members of the Republican Main Street Caucus on a CODEL in Scotland. Usually, CODELs are canceled during government shutdowns, but a spokesperson for Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., shared that 30 members and staff flew to Scotland on a pre-approved trip to discuss economic development and foreign partnerships with Parliament.

Politico reported that Hill staffers are “stoked” about TMZ bringing a new audience to the Hill.

“I think a lot of offices, particularly ones who aren’t in major media markets, are in for a rude awakening,” an anonymous staffer told Politico. “My attitude is any new press that forces members to be sharper and for comms staffers to be more nimble is a good thing,” the staffer continued. 

Many members fight tooth and nail to avoid press on and off the Hill. Others do everything they can to be seen. Regardless, the paparazzi-style news coverage is sure to shake things up in the swamp.

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Read the first chapter of The Woketopus right now for FREE

Today, even with President Trump’s victory, leftist elites have their tentacles in every aspect of our government.

The Daily Signal’s own Tyler O’Neil exposes this leftist cabal in his new book, The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.

In this book, O’Neil reveals how the Left’s NGO apparatus pursues its woke agenda, maneuvering like an octopus by circumventing Congress and entrenching its interests in the federal government.

You can read the first chapter of this new book for FREE in this eBook, The Woketopus: Chapter One using the secure link below.

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