What we covered today
• Lawmaker remembered: Funeral services for longtime GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11 at the age of 71, were held Tuesday in Washington, DC.
• Tributes from the president and senators: President Donald Trump recalled his friend as a “tough cookie” in heartfelt and humorous remarks at Washington National Cathedral. Earlier at the Capitol, Vice President JD Vance and Senate Majority Leader John Thune spoke fondly about their former colleague. Graham was a key Trump ally and conduit to the president on Capitol Hill.
• Two days of services: This was the first day of ceremonies for Graham. Tomorrow he will be honored in his home state of South Carolina with a procession at the state house and a private burial.
Our live coverage of the funeral for Sen. Lindsey Graham has concluded for today. Please scroll through the posts below to learn about the ceremonies in Washington, DC.
Russia sanctions package pushed by Graham advances in Senate vote
The late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s painstakingly negotiated Russia sanctions package advanced on the Senate floor in a vote on Tuesday — just hours after Graham’s funeral in Washington and shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with senators at the Capitol.
The vote was 86-12. Senate leadership hopes they can get an agreement among all 100 senators to allow the package to pass quickly before the August recess begins, but any one senator could object and slow down the process.
The day before his death, Graham met with Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he announced that after 15 months of starts and stops, the Trump administration had finally agreed to back a sanctions package aimed at Russian oligarchs and government officials, including President Vladimir Putin.
The sanctions would be paired with tariffs of up to 100% against the top five importers of Russian oil and natural gas, including India and China, with exceptions for some nations working to lower their reliance on Russian energy.
In the days following Graham’s sudden passing, his senate colleagues have described the aim of passing the package as a “fitting tribute” to the late senator. Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker told reporters, “I’ve known this man for 32 years, and I’m willing to say this: this is Lindsey Graham’s greatest achievement.” The lead Democrat cosponsor, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, said that Graham was “elated” after he got the news that the White House would endorse the package.
However, some senators are still skeptical, including some Republicans with an isolationist streak and several Democrats who are concerned about handing the administration any further authority over tariffs. It remains to be seen if those senators will allow the Senate to quickly move toward final passage of the bill.
Graham’s casket carried out of cathedral as service concludes
Military pallbearers carried the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s casket out of Washington National Cathedral, followed by his honorary pallbearers, while “Fanfare for the Common Man” played, concluding the funeral service in Washington, DC.
As Graham’s family followed his casket outside, President Donald Trump stopped Sen. Darline Graham for a moment to squeeze her hand and kiss her cheek.
Once the casket has been placed back in the hearse, Graham’s body will be transferred back to his home state of South Carolina for Wednesday’s service in Columbia.
As allies mourn Graham, the field is set in the race to replace him on November's ballot
The field of candidates for the special primary election to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on November’s ballot is now set.
It will include a former governor, members of Congress and Graham’s younger sister, among others.
Nine candidates in total have been certified and will appear on the August 11 ballot, according to the South Carolina GOP and data from the state election commission. The large field makes a second, special runoff primary election likely unless a candidate can secure a majority of the vote.
US Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman are both vying for the Republican nomination, as is former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. Businessman Mark Lynch, who unsuccessfully challenged Lindsey Graham in the June primary, also qualified to appear on the ballot. As did newly appointed Sen. Darline Graham, who is finishing her older brother’s current term in the Senate. President Donald Trump has endorsed the political newcomer’s bid for a full term.
The filing period ended at noon Tuesday, as lawmakers, dignitaries, friends, and family bid farewell to the longtime Republican senator in Washington.
Graham's pastor praises his "moral compass," adding that it sometimes made the senator unpopular
Tim Tate, the lead pastor at Sen. Lindsey Graham’s church in Seneca, South Carolina, on Tuesday praised the late senator’s “moral compass” saying, “sometimes, being right will not make you popular.”
“Sen. Graham was very Washington, if you know what I mean, but he was also very small town,” Tate, the pastor of Corinth Baptist Church, said during the homily at the senator’s funeral in the National Cathedral. He noted that Graham was “a man who could make things happen.”
Tate said that Graham was a “quiet” congregant when he could make it to church, but that he was “my friend, and I tried to be a friend for him.”
“I loved when he was there,” he added, saying he had always wanted to be a “safe space” for Graham, rather than someone asking for a favor.
Tate also praised Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham, as well as Graham’s staffers for their work over the last several weeks.
“Darline, you inspire me, with your strength and with your will, and I believe that you’re driven with a passion and a love just like Sen. Lindsey Graham for this country, for the state of South Carolina,” he said.
Graham was the foundation of his family, niece says
Sen. Lindsey Graham was the “foundation of our family,” his niece, Emillie Boggs Roberts, said at his funeral as she recounted vacations and holidays together.
Graham was there for big milestones in her life, like when she got married and had her first child, she said. And she recalled telling her mother, Lindsey Graham’s sister Darline Graham, that she was pregnant with her second child the day he died.
“The first thing she did was pick up the phone to call him to tell him the great news, just like I knew she would. She never got to tell him, but I have no doubt that he knows and is thrilled,” Boggs Roberts said.
Remembering her uncle as a “family man,” she said Graham was also there for her when she had health issues and was by her bedside when she had brain surgery.
“No matter the situation, with Lindsey around, at the end of the day it would all be okay. To be loved by Lindsey was to be truly blessed,” she said.
Hannity pushes back on characterization of Graham as a “warmonger”
Fox News host Sean Hannity pushed back on characterizations of Sen. Lindsey Graham as a “warmonger” after President Donald Trump joked during his own eulogy that the South Carolina Republican never saw a war he didn’t like.
“He was often unfairly characterized as a warmonger. I’ve heard that false criticism a lot. It’s not true. The truth was the opposite,” Hannity said.
“Lindsey desperately wanted — and talked to the president about — a lasting peace in the Middle East. He wanted every region, every country in the region, on that path to peace. That was Lindsey’s dream,” Hannity said.
“If people would only listen to what he had been saying — his greatest gift in life, from my perspective, was Lindsey had moral clarity,” he added.
And Hannity highlighted Graham’s role as a statesman, discussing his close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Hannity says Graham "was great for ratings"
Fox News host Sean Hannity remembered his friendship with Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was a frequent guest on his show.
The South Carolina Republican “was great for ratings because people listened to him. He drew you in, he had that passion to draw you in,” Hannity said.
He also noted Graham was a “shameless self-promoter” when he was on TV. “I don’t think any one person ever said LindseyGraham.com more than Lindsey Graham, and then he’d call me hours later and tell me how much money he raised on my show that night,” Hannity recalled.
“And over and over, if he were here today, I’m sure he would not miss a chance to say DarlineGraham.com. I’ll say it for him,” Hannity added, giving a plug for the late senator’s sister, who has filled his seat in the Senate and is running to succeed him.
Hannity thanked President Donald Trump for his friendship with Graham, saying, “he loved you as he loved his country.”
“Mr. President, you gave him the greatest gift of his life, and that was a front-row seat at the highest levels of history in the making. It meant the world to him,” Hannity said.
The Fox News host also noted that he and Graham didn’t always see eye to eye.
“I want to say, for the record, Lindsey and I did not always agree, not on everything, but we could disagree and we could remain friends, and we remained friends for decades.”
Trump recalls "nasty" fight when he publicly shared Graham's cell phone number
President Donald Trump reflected on his friendship with the late Senator Lindsey Graham during remarks at Graham’s memorial service Tuesday, recounting when the two ran against each other in the 2016 presidential campaign and Trump publicly shared the senator’s personal phone number.
“Back in 2016, Lindsey said something rather nasty on his flight to becoming the next president of the United States,” Trump told mourners gathered at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. “So naturally, I did something that I shouldn’t have done — I shared his personal cell phone number with the millions of people that happened to be watching that particular day.”
During the 2016 GOP primary, Trump and Graham traded barbs on the campaign trail, prompting Trump to read out the digits of his primary rival’s personal cell phone to a crowd of hundreds live during a 2015 South Carolina rally, calling Graham an “idiot” during his remarks. The South Carolinian shortly after made a video about destroying the phone and changed his number.
Speaking during the memorial service Tuesday, Trump took a more circumspect approach to the incident, joking, “His phone totally — I don’t know what he did with it — but it exploded. That was the beginning of a friendship, in a way.”
“But it was Lindsey who had the last laugh, because while I blew up his phone for one day, we became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years,” he joked. “It was not easy.”
Graham likely "beaming with pride" that his sister filled his Senate seat, Trump says
“He had total respect and love for Darline,” he said. “Nothing could be more fitting than that woman, who was Lindsey’s proudest legacy, now continues his legacy of service in the US Senate.”
Trump during his eulogy recounted Graham’s assumption of guardianship over Darline Graham after both of their parents died, helping raise her while he was still in college. Lindsey Graham had previously called Darline his “single proudest accomplishment” in his life, Trump said.
Darline Graham has since agreed to serve out the remainder of Lindsey Graham’s term, and is planning to run for a full term in November.
“I have no doubt that he is looking down today, beaming with pride at his sister,” Trump said.
Trump jokes that "not everybody" always liked "tough cookie" Graham
President Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s ability to work across the political aisle, even as he acknowledged that “not everybody” always liked him.
“No matter how heated things got in Washington, virtually everyone — Republican or Democrat — liked Lindsey,” Trump said during his eulogy, before adding, to laughter in the audience: “Well, not everybody, but it sounds good. Not everybody. He was a tough cookie.”
The president also singled out Graham’s role in rallying support for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, calling his impassioned speech on Kavanaugh’s behalf “Lindsey’s, perhaps, finest hour.”
“It was a truly monumental moment in Senate history,” Trump said of the speech Graham delivered during a committee hearing defending Kavanaugh.
Trump says "nothing of consequence" happened in Washington "without Lindsey Graham knowing about it"
President Donald Trump, at the beginning of remarks paying tribute to the late Sen. Lindsay Graham at Washington’s National Cathedral, said “nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsay Graham knowing about it,” emphasizing the senator’s decades of public service.
“Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it, and no bill became law in the most exceptional republic in human history without Lindsey Graham having a say in it,” Trump said, later adding that Graham died “at the peak of his career.”
“He was the first person to make you laugh,” Trump said. “And one of the last people that you’ve really ever wanted to fight.”
Graham’s casket enters Cathedral as service begins
Graham’s casket was carried into the Cathedral by military pallbearers, followed by his honorary pallbearers, as the funeral service began before a packed congregation. The casket was placed on the floor near the front of the church, close to President Donald Trump’s seat.
The late Sen. Graham’s family members, including his sister, Sen. Darline Graham, were escorted to their seats shortly before the service began. Graham’s niece, Emily Boggs Roberts, will deliver a tribute to her uncle during the service.
Justice Kavanaugh pays respects to senator who helped save his confirmation
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who owes his coveted seat on the Supreme Court in large part to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s heated defense of his confirmation in 2018, is attending the late senator’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.
Kavanaugh, who was President Donald Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, appeared to be flailing in the Senate after allegations of sexual assault by psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford. Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegations, but some Republican senators at the time appeared to waver.
In emotional remarks during an additional committee hearing to review those allegations, Graham blasted Democrats for creating a “sham” and admonished his fellow Republicans to back Trump’s nominee or risk “legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics.”
Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed 50-48.
Speaking recently to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” Trump described Graham’s defense of Kavanaugh as his “finest moment.”
Funeral service at National Cathedral underway now
The funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham at Washington’s National Cathedral has begun. President Donald Trump and others are set to speak soon.
Trump Cabinet members and other high-profile guests attend Graham's funeral
Several members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet are filling the pews of the Washington National Cathedral Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, plus some other high-profile guests.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance are sitting in the front row, and Cabinet members in attendance include: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
Also in attendance: Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Honorary pallbearers include former GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss
The eight honorary pallbearers chosen for the National Cathedral funeral are largely long-time Graham Senate and campaign staff members, with the notable exception of former Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.
Chambliss and Graham were both elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1994, and they later entered the Senate together in 2003. Chambliss retired from the Senate in 2015.
Trump's motorcade arrives at Washington National Cathedral
President Donald Trump’s motorcade has arrived at Washington National Cathedral after about a 12-minute drive.
The ceremony is expected to get underway inside the church soon.
Graham's hearse arrives at National Cathedral for funeral service
The hearse carrying the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s casket has arrived at the National Cathedral. The service, which will be attended by President Donald Trump, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and foreign dignitaries from around the world, is expected to begin at 2 pm ET.
Netanyahu remembers Graham: "Israel has lost one of its greatest friends"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a memorial dinner honoring Lindsey Graham last night, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The dinner, held in the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, was attended by Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu. At the event, Netanyahu emphasized Graham’s commitment to US-Israeli relations.
Other notable guests in attendance included Graham’s family, members of Congress, and senior government officials.
