Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday evening at George Washington University Hospital at 10:23 p.m., according to a joint statement from the Metropolitan Police Department and the District of Columbia's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He was 71.
Fox News Digital reviewed emergency dispatch audio that captured the sequence of events before Graham's office announced his death Sunday morning. The first dispatch came shortly after 8 p.m., when first responders were sent to Graham's Washington home for a reported cardiac arrest. Dispatchers relayed that the caller reported the front door was unlocked. But after arriving and finding the door locked with no response from inside, first responders requested Metropolitan Police Department officers respond to force entry.
Roughly 20 to 25 minutes after the initial dispatch, radio traffic indicated CPR was in progress as emergency crews worked inside the home. The audio does not identify Graham by name or describe the patient's condition. Authorities could be heard in additional radio traffic saying the incident would be handled as a "Capitol Police matter only." The final relevant radio traffic came through shortly after 9:30 p.m.
Graham's office announced his death Sunday morning. "On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness," his office wrote in a statement. "Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," the statement continued.
The District of Columbia's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released preliminary findings on Sunday. "The preliminary examination findings were: Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease," the medical examiner's office said in a statement. An autopsy was performed Sunday.
An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body's largest artery, that allows blood to flow between the layers of the vessel wall, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that can lead to severe internal bleeding or organ damage. Arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease refers to the buildup of plaque inside the arteries, which can restrict blood flow and increase the risk of serious heart and vascular complications.
The medical examiner emphasized that the findings are not final. Officials said comprehensive toxicological and microscopic testing must be completed before the death certificate is updated with the cause and manner of death. "The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death," the medical examiner's office said.
Graham was a Republican first elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving four terms in the House of Representatives. He became one of the chamber's most influential voices on national security, foreign policy, and the judiciary. He chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee during President Donald Trump's first term and was one of the president's closest allies on judicial nominations and defense policy. Trump paid tribute to Graham in a Truth Social post Saturday night, calling the longtime South Carolina lawmaker "a true American Patriot." Tributes poured in from lawmakers across the political spectrum following news of his death.
