Medical Examiner Says Aortic Dissection Preliminary Cause in Lindsey Graham's Death, Toxicology Still Pending

Since Sen. Lindsey Graham's death was announced in the early hours of Sunday, July 12, new details have emerged about what happened inside his Capitol Hill home and how Washington is responding to the loss.

What The Medical Examiner Found

The District of Columbia's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released preliminary findings Sunday indicating Graham, 71, died of an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to Fox News and the Daily Wire. An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner layer of the body's largest artery, a condition the Mayo Clinic classifies as a life-threatening emergency that can cause severe internal bleeding.

The medical examiner's office was explicit that the finding is not final. Toxicological and microscopic testing is still underway, and the death certificate will remain pending until that work is complete, the office said. Graham was pronounced dead at George Washington University Hospital at 10:23 p.m. Saturday, according to a joint statement from the Metropolitan Police Department and the medical examiner's office. An autopsy was performed Sunday.

The Emergency Response

Dispatch audio reviewed by Fox News Digital shows D.C. Fire and EMS units were sent to Graham's home shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday for a reported cardiac arrest. Responders were told the front door would likely be unlocked, but arrived to find it deadbolted and had to call Metropolitan Police to force entry. Roughly 20 to 25 minutes after the initial dispatch, radio traffic indicated crews were performing CPR inside the home. Authorities on the recording said the incident would be handled as "a Capitol Police matter only," according to Fox News. The audio never named Graham or described the patient's condition directly.

The Daily Wire, citing a New York Post report, said the initial 911 caller was en route from Baltimore at the time of the call and had described the man as suffering severe chest pains. Graham was transported to the hospital at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Trump's Final Call

President Trump filled in for Graham on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, telling host Kristen Welker that Graham called him Saturday evening after landing from a trip to Ukraine, saying he was "all set" on the SAVE America Act, a voter-ID and citizenship-verification bill. "He was pushing the SAVE America Act like crazy," Trump said, according to Breitbart. Trump said Graham mentioned he was tired but wanted the bill finished, and that the two discussed meeting up. Trump said he got a message around 1 a.m. that Graham had died and called him "like a member of the family."

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is now pushing to pass the SAVE America Act this month as a tribute to Graham, telling Fox News' Maria Bartiromo there are "multiple paths" to get it done, according to the Daily Signal.

Tributes From Allies and Rivals

Reactions poured in from across the political spectrum. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with Graham in Kyiv just two days before his death, called him "a true defender of freedom" and noted the senator had visited Ukraine ten times since Russia's 2022 invasion, according to Breitbart. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Graham "a beloved friend" of Israel. Vice President JD Vance described Graham on X as a "one of a kind figure," recounting a shouting match over a Ukraine funding bill followed a day later by Graham quietly pushing rail legislation Vance cared about.

Former President Joe Biden, a longtime Senate colleague, wrote that he and Graham "disagreed often, and sometimes loudly" but shared a love of the Senate as an institution, according to the Daily Signal. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker recounted how Graham helped push the First Step Act over the finish line in 2018, quoting a White House aide who once called Graham "an unguided missile."

The Ugly Reactions

Not every reaction was solemn. Dallas-based imam Omar Suleiman posted on his passing that he was "with Israel" and told supporters to "level the place" in Gaza before writing "Bye Lindsey. May you live an eternity in ruins," according to Breitbart, which noted Suleiman delivered an invocation at the U.S. House in 2019 at the invitation of then-Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas. Actor Michael Ian Black wrote on Bluesky that Graham's legacy was "parasitic fealty," while actor Ethan Embry posted that he didn't understand the outrage since "there's still 51 of em walking around," referring to Republican senators.

A Modest Fortune

A separate accounting from the New York Post found Graham, despite 23 years in the Senate and three decades total in Congress, ranked 294th in wealth among the chamber's 535 voting members, with a net worth near $1.5 million built mostly from mutual funds and a $890,000 D.C. townhouse. That places him well below colleagues like Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., whose fortune Quiver Quantitative estimates above $664 million.

The manner of death classification has not been finalized. The medical examiner says this will not happen until toxicology and tissue testing are complete, and no timeline for that has been given. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster now faces the task of naming Graham's Senate replacement, a decision that will shape the chamber's balance of power heading into the 2026 midterms.