Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made a haunting remark just hours before his sudden passing — words that now carry weight no one could have anticipated.
“I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization,” Graham said on Saturday after telling colleagues he felt poorly, according to a source who spoke to Axios.
“I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization.”
The South Carolina Republican agreed to see a doctor after a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” after being encouraged to get immediate medical attention.
Initial tests by the Medical Examiner of Washington, District of Columbia, found that Graham appears to have lost his life due to Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD), a condition in which plaque — made up of calcium, fatty deposits, and cholesterol — sticks to the interior walls of arteries.
The condition can lead to high blood pressure, causing strokes and heart attacks.
Graham made the comments shortly after a phone call with President Donald Trump. He asked the president to impose strict sanctions on Russia amid its war with Ukraine.
The senator had recently returned from a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) recently reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward on a Russia sanctions package.
Trump detailed his final call with Graham in an interview with NBC News. He said the two discussed getting the SAVE Act across the finish line, a proposal that would require photo ID to vote in federal elections.
“He actually said he was tired, but he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act, and I said, ‘Well, we’re going to get it done, Lindsey. We’re going to get it done,'” Trump said.
The president added that “other than being tired,” Graham seemed fine and described him as “like a member of the family to me.”
Trump announced Sunday that he had directed all American flags to be lowered until next Saturday in honor of Graham, calling him “a dear friend of mine” and “a truly great man.”
