Lindsey Graham Dies

The Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia’s preliminary findings are that Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham died of aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a statement released by his office on Sunday. That is when the aorta is damaged or develops a leak. The statement also said that the death certificate will be pending until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized. At that point, the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death.

Lindsey Graham was the garrulous son of South Carolina pool hall owners and he rose to become a prominent senator and fixture on the global stage. The high-energy Republican lawmaker was known for his Southern drawl, political flexibility and reliably hawkish stance on foreign policy. He first won election to Congress in 1994 and he ran for the White House in 2016 as a determined opponent of Donald Trump. Later, he became one of the new president’s staunchest allies. Graham died Saturday night after what his office called “a brief and sudden illness.” He was 71.