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WASHINGTON \u2014<\/p>\nSen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after sudden illness<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON \u2014<\/p>\n
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham<\/a>, one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress who traveled the globe to advocate for a more muscular U.S. foreign policy abroad, died Saturday evening after a \u201cbrief and sudden illness,\u201d his office said in a statement posted on social media. He was 71.<\/p>\n His office did not provide did not provide any additional details about the South Carolina Republican and said his family \u201cappreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSenator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!\u201d Trump posted on social media early Sunday morning. \u201cHe was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!\u201d<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said \u201cmy heart is heavy this morning to learn the passing of my friend and colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLindsey\u2019s long and dedicated service in the Air Force and in Congress carried him to far-flung regions of the world,\u201d Thune said. \u201cHe was a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe. He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause.\u201d<\/p>\n Graham was close with Trump<\/p>\n First elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 after serving in the House, Graham briefly ran for president in 2016.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Graham especially advised the president on foreign policy matters such as Iran<\/a> and Russia, and had just announced an agreement on Friday with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Graham had been in Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who acknowledged the senator\u2019s 10th visit to the country and thanked him for \u201crecognizing our warriors.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n He also cheered on Trump\u2019s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and had been a supporter of the latest conflict that started a few months ago.<\/p>\n Foreign policy was a focus for Graham<\/p>\n Graham especially advised Trump 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. The senator had been in Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said that the senator visited his country 10 times during the years of Russia’s full-scale invasion.<\/p>\n \u201cLindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer,\u201d Zelenskyy said.<\/p>\n His travels made him a familiar face to dozens of world leaders.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> on Sunday mourned Graham\u2019s death, calling him \u201ca great friend of Israel\u201d and \u201ca cherished friend of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu said Graham understood that the security of Israel and the United States is inseparable and devoted his life to defending America, strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance and standing up for the free world.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,\u201d Netanyahu said, extending condolences to Graham\u2019s family and the American people.<\/p>\n The Republican had a prominent career on Capitol Hill<\/p>\n Graham had been serving as the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, giving him a central role during Trump\u2019s second term as Republicans pushed major legislation on party-line votes with a slim majority in the chamber.<\/p>\n His committee oversaw a process called reconciliation, a Senate procedure that allowed Republicans to pass significant policies such as last year\u2019s tax law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s midterms.<\/p>\n Graham also played a central role in the Senate\u2019s efforts to craft a massive immigration overhaul in 2013 as a member of the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group that wrote a sweeping measure that rewrote virtually every part of U.S. immigration law. It passed the Senate with 68 votes but was never taken up by the House, so it did not become law.<\/p>\n But Graham\u2019s views on immigration, particularly an endorsement of a pathway to citizenship for people in the U.S. without legal status, put him at odds with much of the Republican Party and made him vulnerable to primary challenges in South Carolina when he was up for reelection.<\/p>\n This year, Graham faced primary threats from Paul Dans, a key author of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for governing drafted while Trump was running to regain the White House. But Dans dropped out of the race in April<\/a> and Graham won his primary outright in June and was facing Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston, in November.<\/p>\n Graham relied heavily on his close ties with Trump as he fended off primary challengers, and he addressed the president in his victory speech last month<\/a>, saying, \u201cI\u2019m going to help you change this world and change this country.\u201d<\/p>\n Little explanation from Graham’s office<\/p>\n 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\u2019 health.<\/p>\n