Source: Africa Publicity
Renowned US Replican Senator, Lindsey Graham, has died at the age of 71 due to sudden illness, the communications director for his office has announced.
Graham, a key ally of President Donald Trump, died on Saturday evening after a brief and sudden illness, the communications director for his office noted in a post on X early Sunday.
The director added that “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
Graham was elected to the US Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.
In 1994, Graham served in the US House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Congress, for South Carolina’s third congressional district.
He recently served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Graham also served as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Graham was a strong advocate of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and had long pushed for military action against Iran.
“Graham has consistently pushed for outcomes in the War on Terror that protect our long-term national security interests,” according to his website.
He was a strong supporter of Israel and backed Trump’s ongoing war on Iran.
Israel’s Defence Ministry says on Sunday morning it was saddened by the death of Graham, “who stood with Israel in its most difficult time”.
In 2016, he ran for the Republican nomination but dropped out before the primaries began, having been an outspoken critic of Trump. He later became one of his staunchest allies in Congress.
