Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Last Hours

Senator Lindsey Graham reportedly called a staff member to seek help due to chest pains just before his sudden death on Saturday night, as shared by one of his Republican colleagues.

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) provided insight into Graham’s final moments after returning from Ukraine. He was gearing up to return to work following the congressional break after the Fourth of July, feeling under the weather.

“My previous scheduler worked with Lindsay’s scheduler, and one of my staff was with that scheduler when Lindsay made the call,” Tuberville recounted. They had been watching a World Cup match at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.

“Lindsay called. He said, ‘Listen, my heart hurts.’ I told her to ask if he called 911. He replied, ‘No, that’s why I called you.’ So she called 911. By the time help arrived, they were already working on him after breaking down the door.”

Efforts to reach Graham’s scheduler were not successful at the time.

Audio from emergency dispatch indicated that paramedics were sent to Graham’s Capitol Hill residence around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. By nearly 9 p.m., they were performing CPR on a man in cardiac arrest.

Neighbors later reported seeing an elderly man being taken from Graham’s home on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance around 9:30 p.m.

His office announced his passing shortly after 2 a.m. on Sunday. The Washington, D.C., Office of the Medical Examiner later determined that an aortic dissection caused by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease led to his death.

Earlier reports indicated that Graham mentioned feeling unwell and intended to see a doctor after appearing on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that Sunday morning.

“I can’t die anymore,” was what he reportedly joked, highlighting his responsibilities regarding sanctions on Russia and relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

In Graham’s place on “Meet the Press,” President Trump confirmed that they likely spoke earlier that day. He noted Graham seemed a bit tired but was working hard as usual.

As senators grappled with the shock of Graham’s death upon returning to work on Monday, Tuberville remarked that the South Carolinian “worked himself to death.”

“Most of us have families,” he said. “Lindsay didn’t have a family, so when we had downtime, he would go to the airport, anywhere to do something for our country.”