According to preliminary reports, the cause of the sudden death of US Senator Lindsey Graham was an aortic dissection resulting from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This was announced by his office on the evening of 12 July.
The statement notes that the death certificate will be issued once toxicological and microscopic examinations have been carried out.
Police and medical examiners in Washington confirmed this in a joint statement. They noted that toxicological and microscopic examinations are standard procedure in such cases.
Graham was 71 years old. He died on the evening of 11 July in Washington, D.C., shortly after returning from Ukraine. The statement announcing his death said he had died following a “brief and sudden illness”. It later emerged that an ambulance had been called to his home after he complained of chest pain.
US President Donald Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Graham on the phone shortly before he fell ill. According to Trump, they had discussed political issues, including Graham’s trip to Ukraine; the senator sounded tired, but did not complain of any health problems.
Lindsey Graham was a prominent Republican senator, a supporter of President Donald Trump, a critic of the Russian and Iranian authorities, and an advocate of an active US foreign policy based on strength. He supported Ukraine and Israel.
Some American commentators, including the well-known right-wing activist Laura Loomer and the financier William Browder, have raised suspicions about the circumstances of Graham’s death, calling for an investigation into the matter. In particular, they pointed to the history of poisonings of political opponents of the Russian authorities, orchestrated by the Kremlin, and to the threats made against Graham from Moscow and Tehran.
An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner lining of the aorta, the main artery that carries blood away from the heart. This condition is life-threatening and, in most cases, proves fatal even with treatment.