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by WILL FOLKS
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While all of Washington, D.C. was watching for news about one United States senator’s declining health, it was the health of another they apparently should have been keeping an eye on.
U.S. senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina – one of the American Republic’s most aggressively unrepentant, neoconservative warmongers – passed away on Saturday evening (July 11, 2026) after a “brief and sudden illness,” according to a statement released from his office at approximately 2:02 a.m. EDT on Sunday.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement added.
Initial indicators suggest Graham, 71, of Central, S.C., may have died of a heart attack, with emergency responders having reportedly been dispatched to his Washington, D.C. residence on South Capital Street at approximately 8:27 p.m. EDT on Saturday evening in response to reports of the Palmetto State’s senior senator experiencing “chest pains.”
The call reporting Graham’s condition was placed by a female 911 caller from Baltimore, Maryland.
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Five minutes later, at approximately 8:32 p.m. EDT, responders indicated Graham’s residence was locked and that they were attempting to get someone inside to open the door. Two minutes later, the 911 caller inquired as to whether first responders had attempted to knock on the door – apparently believing Graham would answer.
“Yes, repeatedly,” came the response, according to a synopsis of radio traffic associated with the call.
A minute later, at 8:35 p.m. EDT, first responders forced entry into Graham’s residence.
According to NBC News, Graham was scheduled to have appeared on its ‘Meet the Press‘ program on Sunday morning – with staffers from his office telling the network there was “no indication the lawmaker was feeling unwell prior to his death.”
Graham’s death prompted a flood of responses from America’s political leaders.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” U.S. president Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
Graham was also hailed by leaders of the foreign nations who continue to benefit from his seemingly unquenchable thirst for military interventionism and adventurism across the globe.
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“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X.
“Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “He visited Ukraine ten times during the years of Russia’s full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it was most needed. We remained in constant dialogue, and I will miss our conversations. We met twice in just the past week.”
Graham was in Ukraine the day before he died, his tenth visit to the eastern European nation. According to Zelenskyy, the late senator “briefed me on the work underway in Congress on the relevant bill” and “discussed our urgent air defense needs to protect our people.”
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During his visit to Ukraine, Graham toured the production facility of SkyFall, a Ukrainian defense company that specializes in the manufacture of military drones.
According to the Kyiv Post, Graham “familiarized himself with the development and manufacturing process of heavy bomber drones” and reviewed “new technological solutions that will soon appear on the battlefield.”
“It would be a huge mistake for America not to cooperate with Ukraine in the field of drones,” Graham said during his tour of the facility, which he referred to as a “state-of-the-art enterprise that has huge capacities and produces technologies far more advanced than anyone on the planet.”
This is a developing story… please check back for updates…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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