President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the FBI is “wasting their time” investigating the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, dismissing conspiracy theories swirling around the South Carolina Republican’s sudden passing over the weekend.
Trump made the comments in the Oval Office while meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, responding to reporters asking why nearly 20 FBI and federal agents visited Graham’s Capitol Hill home on Monday. “I don’t see a lot of evil there,” Trump said. “I know there’s all sorts of conspiracy theories going along, and I think the FBI is wasting their time if they’re doing that.”
The Washington, D.C., medical examiner’s preliminary findings indicated Graham, 71, died from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease—a rupture of his aorta caused by hardening of his arteries. Authorities are still awaiting results of toxicology and other testing, according to NBC News.
Trump said he had reviewed all medical reports related to Graham’s death and received a briefing from his White House doctors about what happened. He noted that Graham’s father had also died of heart complications at a relatively young age. “They say it’s almost undetectable,” Trump explained. “You can detect it if you have a very bad back. That’s a sign. It’s a bad sign. And he would tell me he had a bad back, but little did anyone realize it was for that.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI is “assisting local authorities” in the matter. Two law enforcement sources told NBC News that federal agents are investigating Graham’s death out of an abundance of caution, but no new evidence has emerged to indicate foul play.
Graham, a close ally of Trump and a key defender of Ukraine and Israel, had just returned from a trip to Kyiv where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the day before his death. The senator’s hardline stance against Russia and Iran had sparked online speculation about possible involvement by foreign actors, speculation Trump sought to dismiss. “Just to answer the conspiracy theory, I’d love to say yes, but I think he had some problems,” Trump told Newsmax on Monday night. “And his father died just about at the same age.”
On Monday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill the remainder of her brother’s Senate term, which ends in January. Darline Graham Nordone was appointed to fill remainder of Lindsey Graham’s Senate term.
Sources
- NBC News — Trump’s comments dismissing FBI investigation, medical examiner findings of aortic dissection, Trump’s briefing from White House doctors, and law enforcement sources on investigation status
- CBS News — Trump’s remarks about Graham’s heart problems, his father’s similar condition, and the aortic dissection diagnosis
- CNN — Coverage of tributes and initial reporting on Graham’s death
