Lindsey Graham dies at age 71 after “a brief and sudden illness”
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham died on July 11, according to his office. He was 71 years old.
Meghan paid tribute to Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close family friend and longtime ally of her late father, Arizona Sen. John McCain, after the South Carolina Republican passed away on July 11 at the age of 71.
Graham was close to the famous McCain family through his decades-long friendship with John McCain, Meghan McCain wrote in an X post after his death was announced. Graham, John McCain and the late Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman traveled, worked and shared vacations with each other in the Senate as a group known as the “Three Amigos,” she said.
She described Graham as the group’s “enthusiasm and humor” and remembered him as a funny storyteller who loved people.
Meghan McCain said she first met Graham in a hotel lobby after attending a political event with her father when he was 11 years old. Graham sat next to her and told her he loved John McCain, she wrote.
Meghan McCain said that even after John McCain passed away in 2018, Graham continued to support her mother, Cindy McCain.
“Like many relationships in life, my relationship with Lindsay was complicated in his later years. I choose to remember the constant laughter and joy he brought to my family, time and time again, in so many different ways,” Meghan McCain wrote.
Preliminary findings reveal cause of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death
Graham’s office said in a statement that he died from a “short-term sudden illness.” Preliminary findings indicate that Graham died from a ruptured main artery caused by atherosclerosis, his communications director Taylor Reidy confirmed to USA TODAY.
According to emergency personnel, paramedics were dispatched to Graham’s Capitol building in Washington, D.C., at around 8:30 p.m. local time after receiving a report of chest pain, and about 20 minutes later, they reported performing CPR on the man who appeared to be in cardiac arrest.
Graham served in Congress for more than 30 years and became known for his research on foreign policy and national security.
Graham, an Air Force veteran and former South Carolina congressman, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, and voters voted him into the Senate in 2002.
Graham became the Senate’s leading advocate for an active role for the U.S. military overseas. He was a strong supporter of Israel, urged continued aid to Ukraine, and spoke frequently about the threat posed by Iran.
Before his death, Graham had made his 10th trip to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss continued U.S. support for the war with Russia, according to Zelenskiy’s July 10 post.
“The closest friend”
Graham and John McCain bonded over national security, immigration and a shared sense of humor. The USA TODAY Network’s Arizona Republic reported in 2015 that John McCain once jokingly referred to Graham as his “illegitimate son” because the two were so closely aligned on policy issues.
Over time, they developed one of the closest friendships in the Senate, The Republic reported in 2017.
“He’s loyal to his friends, he loves his country, and if he has to stand up to his party for his country, so be it,” Graham said of John McCain. “I love him to death.”
John McCain said the two became close during the 1998 impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, when Graham was a member of the House of Representatives.
This alliance also shaped John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. Graham accompanied him on the trail in South Carolina and argued that John McCain’s military experience made him the right leader during the Iraq War, The Republic reported.
John McCain returned that loyalty in 2014, telling The Republic that he would support Graham for president because they are “the closest of friends.” He also said Graham has “more experience and knowledge than anyone in the United States” when it comes to national security.
The friendship continued even through John McCain’s fatal illness. In early 2018, Graham traveled to Arizona where he was being treated for glioblastoma, The Republic reported.
“We laughed a little bit. We cried a little bit,” Graham said after the visit.
Contributor: Dan Nowicki, Arizona Republic. america today
Ray Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Please email him at:rcovarrubias@azcentral.comConnect with him atInstagram,thread,blue skyandX (old Twitter)@ReyCJrAZ.
