Senator Lindsey Graham, the veteran South Carolina Republican who was elected to the Senate in 2002 and served as a close political ally of President Donald Trump, has died. He was 71.
Graham passed away Saturday night “from a brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement released early Sunday. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
President Donald Trump led tributes, calling Graham “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known” and a “true American Patriot” in a Truth Social post. Trump later told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that he had spoken with Graham on Saturday night, just hours before his death, and that the senator seemed fine “other than being tired.”
Flags at the White House were lowered to half-staff. Trump later directed that all American flags fly at half-staff until Saturday at 6 p.m.
Graham was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was seeking a fifth six-year term in November. A prominent and influential voice in the GOP on defense and foreign policy, he was one of the chamber’s best-known members.
Emergency personnel responded to a call for “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s Capitol Hill home Saturday night. Photos from the scene show paramedics carrying a person on a stretcher from his residence to an ambulance, with police and fire vehicles present.
A top staffer said there was no indication beforehand that Graham was unwell. On Sunday, Graham’s office released preliminary findings from the D.C. medical examiner: the cause of death was “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease” — a rupture of the aorta linked to hardening of the arteries.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) praised Graham as “a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe.” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster described him as “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend.”
Graham first entered Congress as a U.S. Representative from South Carolina, serving from 1995 to 2003, before winning his Senate seat in 2002. He built a national profile through his work on foreign policy. In recent years, he strongly supported U.S. aid to Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and advocated a hardline stance on Iran.
As one analyst noted, Graham was the Republicans’ “last highly effective advocate for the idea that American power must shape events before hostile powers reshape them.”
Source : myxyzonline/nbcnews/Emmanuel Nettey
