Lindsey Graham, defense hawk and four-term senator, dead at 71

Lindsey Graham, defense hawk and four-term senator, dead at 71. Senate Budget Committee chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a long-standing foreign policy hawk who became a close ally of President Donald Trump during his final years, has died at 71 “from a brief and sudden illness,” according to his office. Graham, who was first elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate in 2002 and has served in the chamber for more than two decades, has played a key role in pushing legislation that advances the second Trump administration’s agenda across the finish line. His family “appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement continued. A foreign policy hawk, Graham, who was seeking a fifth term in November, spent many of his last days in Congress emphasizing the importance of the Trump administration’s actions in the Middle East. Graham’s death also comes after a recent visit to Ukraine, where he spoke with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A retired Air Force Reserve colonel, Graham was initially known for his bipartisan streak and has long been known for his friendship with the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain. Graham launched a long-shot bid for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination that included sharp criticism of Trump – but the former opponents have been on the same page in the years since.