U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away on Saturday night after experiencing a brief and sudden illness, two days after his 71st birthday and shortly after returning from Ukraine. Emergency personnel responded to a report of cardiac arrest at Graham's home in Washington, D.C. at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.
According to a statement from his office, Graham had spoken with former President Donald Trump earlier that evening, expressing fatigue from his trip. Following that conversation, Graham mentioned feeling unwell to another individual who advised him to seek medical attention immediately. However, Graham indicated he would wait until Sunday morning after his scheduled appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Graham reportedly joked, “I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out, and do Israeli-Saudi normalization.” Emergency responders arrived shortly after 8:30 p.m., and CPR was in progress approximately 25 minutes later. He was transported to George Washington University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
There were no prior indications of health issues, and a cause of death has not yet been disclosed. Graham had a family history of heart disease, as his father died of a heart attack at age 69. Following his death, some individuals speculated about the timing of his passing in relation to his recent trip to Ukraine and discussions on sanctions against Russia, but there is no evidence to support claims of foul play.