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- Sen. Lindsey Graham backed Trump last fall and called for an investigation into Hunter Biden.
- Graham called Joe Biden shortly after to try and mend their friendship, The New York Times reported.
- Joe Biden said Graham was a "personal disappointment" because he had considered him a friend.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Sen. Lindsey Graham called President-elect Joe Biden shortly after the election to try and mend their friendship, according to a new report from The New York Times.
The call came after Graham had publicly called for an investigation into Biden's son Hunter and his business dealings in Ukraine, an obsession of former President Donald Trump and his allies during the campaign.
The Times reported that Graham told Biden he only went after Hunter to satisfy Trump supporters, but a spokesperson for Graham denied that account.
Prior to Biden's presidential run, he and Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, had considered each other friends.
In an interview from 2015, Graham got emotional when he said Biden was "as good a man as God ever created." He also said he called Biden upon the passing of his eldest son, Beau.
In 2013, Biden told Graham he would come to South Carolina to help him get reelected.
After calling for the investigation into Hunter Biden, Graham said he loved Biden but that he didn't believe his son's business dealings "pass the smell test."
Biden did not respond positively when Graham called him, having considered his remarks on Hunter Biden to be an "unforgivable attack on his family," according to The Times. Biden accused Graham of trying to have it both ways, two sources close to Biden told the outlet.
In December, Stephen Colbert asked Biden if he thought he could patch things up with Graham.
"Lindsey's been a personal disappointment because I was a personal friend of his," Biden said.