'America and the world have lost a determined leader': Tributes pour in after Sen Lindsey Graham's death
Tributes poured in Sunday from President Donald Trump, congressional leaders and foreign allies after Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died at 71 following what his office described as a "brief and...
By Fox News · Fox News
Tributes poured in Sunday from President Donald Trump , congressional leaders and foreign allies after Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died at 71 following what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness," bringing to an end the career of one of the Senate's most influential Republican voices. The South Carolina Republican had served in the Senate since 2003 and became one of the GOP's leading voices on national security and foreign policy. Once a sharp critic of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, Graham later emerged as one of the president's closest allies while maintaining a prominent role on issues ranging from judicial confirmations to Ukraine, Israel and Iran. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Graham "was always working," and called the Palmetto State senator "a true American Patriot." "Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!" Trump wrote. "So sad!" SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71 AFTER 'BRIEF AND SUDDEN' ILLNESS, OFFICE SAYS South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster called Graham "irreplaceable" and the "fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America." Per South Carolina law, McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement for Graham, who was seeking a fifth term in November. Senate Majority Leader John Thune , R-S.D., said his "heart is heavy" following Graham's death, calling him a trusted adviser whose influence "on the federal judiciary, our national defense, and his beloved South Carolina will be felt for generations." Thune praised Graham as a tireless advocate for the United States and its allies, saying he believed in "the might of America to achieve good in the world" and spent his career advancing that cause. United States UN Amb. Mike Waltz remembered Graham not only as a senator, but as a fellow military officer. Waltz said he first met Graham when he was serving as a colonel in the Air National Guard, recalling that Graham spent his annual training deployments in Afghanistan helping train Afghan Army Judge Advocate General officers. Walt…