The late South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death on Saturday came as a shock to many.
True, the lawmaker was not a young man by any means at 71 years old, but his health seemed to fail him spontaneously amid a busy schedule of international trips and phone calls with President Donald Trump.
On the note of the latter, Graham had spoken to Trump shortly before his death. He joked it could not be his time with so much left to do.
Axios reported Graham’s comments to the president on Sunday. The late lawmaker told Trump, “I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization.”
CBS News noted that a medical examiner’s preliminary findings found his cause of death to be an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
University of Chicago Medicine explains the condition as one in which the aorta — the main artery transporting blood from your heart to the parts of your body — tears and allows blood to escape the artery.
“The loss of blood flow caused by a leaky aorta means there’s less oxygen for vital organs like your brain, kidneys and heart, which can be deadly,” the institution said, noting 40 percent of people die instantly from it.
Per Axios, Graham was not feeling well, but refused to go to a hospital immediately, saying he would after an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning.
Concerning the content of Graham’s remark to Trump otherwise, he had been working in Congress to sanction Russia amid its ongoing war with Ukraine. The bill would include sanctions and tariffs, specifically on countries that trade with Russia for its oil, per a separate report by CBS News.
Graham had also been advocating for more military intervention against Iran. In their phone call, the president had reportedly told him a new round of strikes were coming against that country after more attacks against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Axios said Graham had been vocal in his final weeks about promoting a better relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel, seeing it as integral to stability in the Middle East.
The Saudi government wanted a commitment to a Palestinian state, which Israel was opposed to.
Graham planned to travel to both countries in the near future with a timeline for negotiations putting the work toward an agreement in September and a deal in November.
This is all to say Graham was not lying in a hospital bed for weeks before his end.
He was as busy as ever, making moves on the international front.
Although it’s speculation, had Graham sought medical attention Saturday, maybe we’d still have him today.
There are some people rejoicing at his passing. He was a divisive public figure, after all.
The better, and more Christlike path, would be prayer for his family at the passing of a loved one.
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