WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Donald Trump's closest allies in Congress and a longtime advocate of direct confrontation with Iran, died Saturday evening after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said in statement posted on social media.
The office did not provide any additional details about the South Carolina Republican, who was 71 years old.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for
privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement said.
Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and was running for a fifth term. He briefly ran for president in 2016 and clashed with Trump, criticizing him as “unfit for office.”
However, he later emerged as one of Trump's top allies, speaking with him frequently and becoming a regular presence on the golf course alongside the president.
Graham especially advised the president on foreign policy matters such as Iran and Russia, and had just announced an agreement on Friday with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions.
Graham had been in Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who acknowledged the senator’s 10th visit to the country and thanked him for “recognizing our warriors.”
As a member of the U.S. House in the 1990s, Graham backed policies aimed at isolating Iran and limiting its missile and nuclear programs.
He also cheered on Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and had been a supporter of the latest conflict that started a few months ago.
Graham had been serving as the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, giving him a central role during Trump’s second term as Republicans pushed major legislation on party-line votes with a slim majority in the chamber.
His committee oversaw a process called reconciliation, a Senate procedure that allowed Republicans to pass significant policies such as last year’s tax law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.
He had previously led the Senate Judiciary Committee when Republicans confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in 2020, and was in line to regain that gavel if the party kept control of the Senate after this year’s midterms.
The sparse statement by Graham's office, which did not explain his death, comes during a stretch of concern about a lack of transparency about lawmakers’ health.
Rep. Tom Kean Jr, a New Jersey Republican, was absent without explanation for months before returning to Congress and disclosing that he had been diagnosed with depression.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, was hospitalized weeks ago for undisclosed health reasons.
