Kash Patel says FBI is ‘assisting local authorities’ after Lindsey Graham’s death

Isabel Keane Sun, July 12, 2026 at 6:38 PM UTC

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The FBI is assisting following the death of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, FBI director Kash Patel said in a statement (Getty)

Kash Patel has said the FBI is "assisting local authorities" after the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.

The 71-year-old Republican died from a “brief and sudden illness” Saturday night, his office said. Emergency dispatch audio revealed that paramedics were called to the senator’s Washington, D.C., home around 8:30 p.m. in response to a cardiac arrest.

FBI Director Patel remembered Graham as a “devoted public servant, a fierce defender of our nation, and a true patriot who dedicated his life to the people of South Carolina and the United States” in a statement Sunday.

“The FBI is assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available,” Patel wrote in his post on X.

It was not immediately clear if there was an investigation into Graham’s death. The FBI declined to comment further to The Independent.

The Independent has contacted the White House and the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. for comment.

Graham, who served as a senator in South Carolina since 2003, had been a longtime, vocal advocate for a hawkish foreign policy. He vocally supported Ukraine in the war against Russia. On Friday, Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine, marking his tenth visit to the war-torn country.

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A video posted by Zelensky shows the two men discussing the Ukrainian leader’s recent meeting with President Donald Trump. On Friday, Graham also announced that he was able to get an agreement with the White House on a bill to sanction Russia.

Trump told NBC News on Sunday morning that Graham was a “tough one to lose” and “like a member of the family.”

The president said he spoke with Graham over the phone around 7 p.m. Saturday, not long before he died. He said the senator “sounded a little tired” after returning from his trip to Ukraine.

Graham, who served as a senator in South Carolina since 2003, had been a longtime, vocal advocate for a hawkish foreign policy. He vocally supported Ukraine in the war against Russia. On Friday, Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine (Reuters)

A day later, emergency responders were called to Graham’s home on Capitol Hill.

A 911 caller — an unidentified woman who said she was not home — told dispatchers the door was unlocked, according to the audio. However, EMS at the scene reported the deadbolt was secured and that they knocked on the door “repeatedly,” but no one answered. D.C. firefighters then forced entry into the home, audio revealed.

Graham, pictured in Ukraine Friday, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky (AP)

About 25 minutes later, EMS said that CPR was in process and that a man at the home was suffering from cardiac arrest. The dispatch calls did not mention Graham by name, but referred to a 73-year-old patient. Graham had just turned 71 on Thursday.

A staffer in the senator’s office told NBC News that there was no indication that the lawmaker was feeling unwell before his death.

His office did not provide any additional details about his death. His family said in a statement that it “appreciates prayers at this time” and asked for privacy.

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Source: “AOL Breaking”