Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly told someone he felt unwell before his death but chose to wait until after his scheduled “Meet the Press” appearance to seek medical help.
Graham Reportedly Refused Medical Help Before TV Appearance
Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly wanted to finish one more television appearance before dealing with feeling unwell — a decision that may have come just hours before his sudden death.
According to Axios, as reported by Fox News, Graham told an unnamed source he wasn’t feeling well in what could have been one of his final conversations. When the person urged him to seek medical attention, Graham said he’d do so only after his scheduled Sunday appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization,” Graham reportedly said.
Graham’s office released a preliminary cause of death Sunday evening, attributing it to aortic dissection resulting from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. His office noted that toxicological and microscopic testing were still pending before a final death certificate could be issued.
President Donald Trump said he believes he may have been among the last people to speak with Graham. “I got a message about 1 in the morning from one of the people in his office that he had passed away. I said, ‘I just can’t believe it,'” Trump told “Meet the Press.” “He was like a member of the family to me. It’s very tough, actually.”
Graham had recently returned from Ukraine and was working to secure renewed White House backing for sanctions against Russia — one of several foreign policy priorities he was pursuing at the time of his death, alongside Israeli-Saudi normalization efforts.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who had traveled overseas with Graham, said passing the Russia sanctions package would be “no more fitting memorial” to his legacy.
Graham’s death has also triggered a scramble over his Senate seat, with South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster set to name an interim replacement, while Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman are seen as potential contenders in the coming special election.
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