Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was elected to the Senate in 2002 and was a close political ally of President Donald Trump, has died, his office confirmed Sunday. He was 71.
Graham died Saturday night “from a brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement.
President Donald Trump led tributes Sunday to “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known,” describing Graham as a “true American Patriot” in a Truth Social post.
Graham was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was seeking a fifth six-year Senate term in November. He was one of the most well-known members of the chamber and a key voice within the party on defense and foreign policy.
Graham had just returned from Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.
“Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and of the values that make our world safer,” Zelensky said in a statement, noting that he had visited Ukraine 10 times during the war.
“We were in constant dialogue, which I will miss,” he said, adding that “in recent weeks he worked on important initiatives that could help bring peace closer, including strengthening sanctions against Russia.”
“He was a powerful advocate for America who believed strongly in the NATO Alliance and was actively working to bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said.
Former President George W. Bush said Graham “understood how the world works and how important America’s international engagement is to resist tyranny.
Moldova president nominates investor Vasile Tofan as prime minister
