Medical examiner attributes Senator Lindsey Graham's death to aortic dissection
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A preliminary report from the Washington, D.C. medical examiner says the 71-year-old senator died of an aortic dissection linked to cardiovascular disease.
A Washington, D.C. medical examiner has determined that Senator Lindsey Graham died of an aortic dissection, a tear in the main artery that supplies blood to the heart, caused by underlying cardiovascular disease. The finding is preliminary, and the death certificate will be finalized after toxicological and microscopic testing are completed, according to the senator's spokesperson.
Graham, 71, a longtime South Carolina senator and prominent voice on foreign policy, passed away on Saturday evening. He had returned from a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.
Zelensky wrote on X that Graham was "a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Graham understood that the security of Israel and the United States are inseparable.
Graham was known for his interventionist stance, consistently championing U.S. military involvement in foreign conflicts and pushing aggressive policies that have contributed to global instability and suffering, particularly in the Global South. He advocated a hard line toward Iran, fueling tensions rather than seeking diplomatic solutions. Despite his earlier criticisms of former President Donald Trump, Graham ultimately fell in line with the reactionary right, voting against Trump's impeachment and endorsing him in the 2024 election. His legacy is marked by support for militarism and the interests of the powerful, often at the expense of peace and justice.