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By Hannah Parry
Associate News Editor
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Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has shared details about Lindsey Graham's final moments before the longtime South Carolina GOP senator's death on Saturday at the age of 71.
Tuberville, of Alabama, told reporters on Monday that one of his staffers had been with Graham’s scheduler Saturday night when the senator called, complaining of "chest pains."
“Lindsey called ... basically said, ‘Listen, I’m having chest pains. You know, I need to do something,’” Tuberville said.
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Graham’s scheduler asked if he had called 911, to which Tuberville said he'd responded, “No, that’s the reason I called you.”
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Multiple news reports, citing dispatch audio from Broadcastify, said that emergency responders were dispatched to a Washington, D.C., address for Graham around 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday after a report someone was enduring chest pains.
Graham's office described his cause of death only as a "brief and sudden illness." Preliminary findings show he died of an aortic dissection tied to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a statement. He was in the middle of a reelection campaign he had been expected to win.
The senator had just returned home from a trip to Ukraine and President Donald Trump told the press that he and Graham had spoken about the "SAVE America Act" shortly before his death.
"Lindsey basically worked himself to death," Tuberville added. "You know, we all, most of us have families. He didn't have any family. And if we had a couple of days off, he went to that airport. He went somewhere, to try to work out something for our country."
GOP Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, however, said he was not ruling out anything—including foul play—in Graham's death. During a Monday appearance on Fox News, Hawley said he believed it was "only wise and smart to look at every angle here. I absolutely think there should be a full toxicology report, autopsy, the whole thing. I mean, nobody had been a greater advocate of taking on Putin than Lindsey Graham. Nobody had been tougher on the Iranians over time than Lindsey. He had a lot of enemies in the world. So I wouldn't I wouldn't rule anything out.
"I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist. And, you know, I hope that none of that is true. But the truth is that we've lost a good man. The Senate's lost a good man who was doing a lot of good work. And I think we owe it to his constituents and the American people to get the truth."
Graham's death came as longtime Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, 84, reportedly remained in a rehabilitation facility following a hospitalization that began June 14.
Lindsey Graham's Sister Appointed to His Senate Seat
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve as the state's interim U.S. senator until the next Congress is seated in January.
The appointment came after Trump publicly urged McMaster to select Graham's sister, calling the move "a fabulous tribute" to the late senator. McMaster said Nordone would continue her brother's work while South Carolina voters choose a permanent successor later this year.
Nordone has never held elected office but was one of Graham's closest confidantes. After the death of their parents when she was a teenager, Graham became her legal guardian and helped raise her.
Who Could Win Lindsey Graham's Senate Seat in November?
Although Nordone will serve on an interim basis, South Carolina voters will elect a senator to complete the remainder of Graham's term in a special election this November.
Republicans are expected to hold a competitive primary before the general election, with several prominent South Carolina Republicans viewed as potential contenders, including Representatives Russell Fry, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, while Democrat Annie Andrews is expected to compete in the general election.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Hannah Parry and Edward T. Cummins.
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