The political world was shocked and saddened after learning early Sunday morning that South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham had passed away after a “brief sudden illness.”
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” a Sunday statement from Graham’s office said shortly after his passing.
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“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” it added.
Now, less than 24 hours later, the medical examiner’s office in Washington, D.C., has issued a report identifying Graham’s cause of death.
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The preliminary findings, released by Graham’s office, found that his death was caused by “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”
Aortic dissection is a critical medical emergency involving a tear in the inner wall of the aorta, which is the body’s main artery.
“The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” the statement added.
Jeffery W. Carroll, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Francisco J. Diaz, the chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia, confirmed the findings of the preliminary examination in a joint statement.
“Whenever an autopsy is performed in the District of Columbia, the pathologist also orders comprehensive toxicology testing and microcopy both of which take time to complete,” they said.
“As soon as the results are available and the investigation concludes, OCME will communicate with the next of kin and the death certificate will be amended from pending to the cause of death and the classification of the manner of death,” they added.
Emergency Medical Services responded to Graham’s Capitol Hill address at 8:27 p.m. Saturday for someone with “chest pains,” according to audio of the call, via various reports.
The evening of his death, Graham had returned from a trip to Ukraine the day before, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss ongoing support for the fight against Russian aggression.
President Trump issued a heartfelt tribute on Truth Social early Sunday, praising his longtime friend and Senate partner.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump wrote.
“He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”
Trump also said that Graham had called him Saturday evening after returning from Ukraine to discuss the passage of the SAVE America Act.
The president said Graham sounded confident the legislation, which Trump has been pushing for, would finally pass in the Senate.
Graham, it turns out, was scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with anchor Kristen Welker on Sunday morning, but instead she spoke to Trump via phone.
“President Trump, thank you for joining us, and my condolences to you,” Welker began:
TRUMP: Well, thank you. He’s a tough one to lose. He’s…he was great. He was unique in every way, actually.
WELKER: He was, Mr. President, and I know that we are all just absorbing this news. We are all in shock. Can you tell us, Mr. President, how you received this news and your immediate gut reaction when you heard it?
TRUMP: So what makes it even stranger is that I got a call last night, sometime in, you know, the early evening, maybe in the sevens. And he called, and he said, “We’re all set for the SAVE America Act. He was pushing the SAVE America Act like crazy. He got back — said he just landed from Ukraine. I said, “That’s a long trip to make.”
He said — he sounded a little tired, but perfect, but…a little bit tired — had a right to be. And he was a worker — he was really a worker, but he sounded great actually, but he was…he actually said he was tired.”
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