Newly obtained dispatch audio and images have offered a stark look at the emergency response on the night of the reported medical incident involving U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, detailing the urgent lifesaving efforts carried out before his sudden reported death at 71.
The recording, obtained by CNN and The Wall Street Journal, indicated that emergency medical crews were sent to Graham’s home on Saturday night following a report of “cardiac arrest.”
According to the Journal, responders reached a residence south of the capital shortly before 8:30 p.m. — an address listed in public records as one associated with Graham — and began CPR on a person experiencing cardiac arrest.
Officials later radioed that an unidentified woman, who said she was driving from Baltimore to the home, contacted dispatchers minutes afterward and reported that the person’s front door was unlocked.
Chilling Photos Show Paramedics Trying to Save Graham
However, when first responders arrived, they found the door locked. By 8:35 p.m., officials informed dispatch that they planned to force entry into the residence, the outlet reported.
About 15 minutes later, EMS personnel reported that CPR was underway, and dispatchers sent a supervisor to the scene to support the responding crew.
Graham was not identified by name in the dispatch audio, and the patient referenced during the 911 call was described as being 73 years old.
Photos obtained by TMZ appeared to show paramedics working urgently as they attempted to provide lifesaving care to the senator.
Graham is seen on a gurney, being wheeled out of his home, as first responders surrounded him.
The office of Graham, who has represented South Carolina since 2002, announced in the early hours of Sunday that the senator, ‘had passed away from a brief and sudden illness’ – just two days after his 71st birthday.
In the audio the dispatcher is heard saying EMS is responding to the ‘cardiac arrest’ at Graham’s residence, which was censored.
No Official Cause of Death as Trump Leads Tributes
The emergency call was placed from Graham’s residence around 8.30pm, but no official cause of death has been confirmed.
President Donald Trump shared a tribute to the late Senator on Truth Social shortly after the announcement was made.
‘Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!
‘He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Graham was one of Trump’s closest allies in the US Senate, consistently voting to enact the president’s agenda.
The commander-in-chief also shared the final conversation he had with the senator, revealing what he claims was the veteran Republican’s last political wish before his unexpected death.
Trump Shares Details of Last Phone Call With ‘Family’ Ally
In a Sunday morning interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump revealed that Graham was ‘like a member of the family to him,’ and that the two had spoken over the phone on Saturday night.
Trump also revealed that Graham called him to discuss the passage of the SAVE America Act, which Graham co-sponsored in the US Senate.
‘He actually said he was tired, but he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act, and I said, ‘Well, we’re going to get it done, Lindsey. We’re going to get it done. I’ll see you, like, soon,’ Trump noted on Meet the Press.
The SAVE America Act has been passed by the US House of Representatives three times, but has not been passed by the Senate, where it needs 60 votes due to the filibuster.
Trump Reflects on Graham’s Defiant Kavanaugh Defense
In a separate interview with CNN on Sunday morning, Trump revealed to anchor Jake Tapper what he considered to be Graham’s finest moment in the US Senate: his defense of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.
Graham’s death comes just days after he visited Ukraine and met with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to discuss the ongoing Russian invasion.
His meeting with the leader of Ukraine is understood to be the last public image of him.
There were no known concerns about his health in the lead-up to his trip to the embattled nation.
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