Lindsey Graham’s funeral in Washington draws tributes from Trump, world leaders

This is an excerpt from an opinion piece written by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., for Fox News Digital:

America lost a true statesman in the passing of Lindsey Graham, and I lost a good friend. Through his service in the military, the United States Senate, and in his own personal life, Lindsey showed what it means to be an upstanding man. He always led with faith, family, and South Carolina first.

Lindsey came from humble beginnings. He was born into a working-class family and suffered tragedy at an early age. When he was in his early 20s, his mother died of cancer, and just 15 months later, his father died of a heart attack. In these trying times, Lindsey raised his 13-year-old sister and later adopted her so she could receive his medical benefits.

It is that same sense of duty and sacrifice that led Lindsey Graham to public service. He wanted to help people and make sure nobody felt invisible. Through his office’s casework and his work on the Senate floor, Lindsey fought to help those who couldn’t help themselves. No matter where he was, Lindsey was always looking for people who felt like they were not seen. That is the mark of a true statesman.

His statesmanship was defined by his commitment to the people of South Carolina, and it cannot be stated enough. Lindsey knew that we work for our bosses: the people of South Carolina. We should serve them, not lead them. Lindsey took that approach to his job every single day, and it is that fighting attitude that cemented his legacy as a champion for American safety and security. He wanted every American to be safe wherever they were in the world, and he leaned into his beliefs because he knew he had a responsibility and an opportunity from God to make a difference.

Senator Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans and Democrats both viewed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham as a friend. 

"Senators on both sides of the aisle counted him as a friend. And Republicans and Democrats alike, including the Democrat leader, are here to say farewell,” Thune said during a service for Graham at the U.S. Capitol rotunda. 

“Lindsey was a towering figure here in the Senate and on the international stage. His leadership on national security and our national defense is well known,” Thune added. “I travel with Lindsey all over the world as part of congressional delegations, and I saw firsthand just how much he was respected by our allies and just how well he was able to connect with foreign leaders around the globe.” 

"Striking, too, was the instant connection he had with the military men and women that we met. They recognized him immediately as one of their own,” Thune said. 

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that he believes the late Sen. Lindsey Graham saved the nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court with his “fierce advocacy.” 

Christine Blasey Ford testified during the 2018 confirmation hearing that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh denied the allegation. Graham used his questioning time to accuse Democrats of trying to destroy the nominee's life and keep the Supreme Court seat open. 

"Before I knew Lindsey, one of the most enduring parts of his legacy is I do believe that Justice Kavanaugh would not be on the Supreme Court were it not for his fierce advocacy during a critical moment,” Vance said Tuesday during a tribute to Graham at the U.S. Capitol rotunda. 

“Remember that Senate confirmation hearing where Lindsey -- and by the way, he got criticism from the Republican side of the aisle for this. He would always vote for qualified Democrat judicial nominations. He came to the judicial nomination process in a spirit of bipartisanship. Again, he was criticized sometimes from our side of the aisle for that. But what he saw happening to Kavanaugh was not a policy disagreement. It was character assassination. And Lindsey got as fiery and as passionate as I have ever seen a human being get during a judicial confirmation,” Vance continued. 

“And I believe that he saved that nomination. Now, that moment, of course, went viral, but Lindsey didn't do it for social media clicks. He did it to do something at the very highest part of the Senate, which was to persuade his colleagues. And persuade his colleagues he did. I remember there were a few people who were waffling at that moment, a few people who are unsure what they were going to do. Lindsey didn't just earn a lot of headlines. He actually persuaded people,” the vice president added. 

"And that maybe is how I will choose most to remember my friend Lindsey Graham. He saw that the Senate, at its very worst, could be a venue for character assassination. But because he loved people, he saw that the Senate, at its very best, could be a deliberative body geared towards persuading people,” Vance said. “And that's what Lindsey Graham did in that case and in so many others.” 

“So I choose to remember Lindsey Graham as a man who could disagree with you without being disagreeable. I choose to remember Lindsey Graham as a person who could fight with you on one issue, but fight for you on another issue,” Vance concluded. “I remember Lindsey Graham as a man who loved people, and because he loved people, he was willing to reason with them, to respect them and ultimately to persuade them.”

Fox News Digital's CJ Womack contributed to this post.

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham “loved people from all walks of life.” 

“I think in part because of the way that he grew up, because the fact that he wasn't handed everything, he was fascinated in everybody. He was a fascinated in the waitstaff in the Senate dining room,” Vance said. “He was fascinated in the people who made the food. He was fascinated in the lowest staffer who had been hired three days earlier, he was fascinated by, of course, the very leadership of our country. And I think he was fascinated in people because he loved people and he was interested in them.” 

"He was the kind of guy who would walk into the Senate, and when he walked into the Senate, this was a guy who couldn't have stood more than five foot six or five foot seven, but he'd swashbuckle in with his jacket open like he was six foot five. He had an attitude to him, and it's one of the reasons why Lindsey Graham was Lindsey Graham,” Vance added. “But he would walk into the United States Senate and he would he would slap you on the back. He would greet the person who served his food. He treated everybody the same because he was fascinated. And he loved every single person in this chamber. And that's a great testament to the man." 

Vance also recalled how during one point on the campaign trail, he and Graham were riding in the back of a car and the late South Carolina senator “told me a story about his time in the House. 

“And if I repeated exactly what he told me, Darline, it would be the end of my political career forever,” Vance said, mentioning Graham’s sister. “But what I can say is that I was laughing so hard that by the time we got to the next event, I had abdominal cramps and I was barely able to speak because Lindsey Graham could make anybody laugh and he could make anybody feel at home.” 

Senator Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., described the late Sen. Lindsey Graham as “powerful voice” in the pro-life movement. 

"No tribute to Lindsey's work is complete without mentioning that he was a powerful voice for the pro-life movement. 'Until my last breath, I will be fighting for this cause,' he said. And he was,” Thune said..  

“He was a fierce defender of Ukraine. He was a fierce defender of the unborn. And on the surface, these might seem like two completely separate issues. But it strikes me that in another way, they are both of a piece. In both cases, Lindsey Graham saw injustice and he spoke up,” Thune added. “And was as typical of Lindsey, he spoke up fearlessly." 

"'I don't apologize for being pro-life,' he said in an interview in 2022, and probably on a number of other occasions. It didn't matter to Lindsey whether an issue was popular or unpopular, whether he had the full support of his colleagues or whether he was standing alone,” Thune also said. “If he believed he was in the right, he spoke up. He told things the way he saw them. And he didn't mince words."

Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., said Tuesday that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham had a “deep love for South Carolina and his family,” and that he believed “public service is a responsibility, not simply a position.” 

“When people talk about Lindsey Graham, they often talk about the titles he has held, the congressman, the senator, the chairman, the colonel. But titles only tell a small part of the story,” Biggs said during a service at the U.S. Capitol rotunda. 

“To truly understand Lindsey, you have to understand his deep love for South Carolina and his family, and his belief that public service is a responsibility, not simply a position. To say he loves South Carolina is an understatement. He loved every every city in our small but very powerful state, and he always carried South Carolina traditions with him,” she added. 

The casket of late Sen. Lindsey Graham was escorted Tuesday into the U.S. Capitol rotunda.

"In recognition of Graham’s decades of service in the Air Force, his remains will be carried into the U.S. Capitol by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team," Graham's office said. "Following arrival to the Rotunda, the Armed Forces Body Bearer Team will be replaced by a U.S. Capitol Police memorial guard in recognition of his service in the U.S. Senate."

President Donald Trump told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham “liked war” and helped him build a “great military.” 

“Lindsay liked war to be honest with you, ok? And I said, ‘you're a nice guy, how come you like war so much?’ He was a guy that liked war, I jokingly say, and there's nothing funny about it, but he's never seen a war that he didn't like,” Trump said. 

“He was very much into that. And, you know, for good reason. He felt that way. Some other people feel that way. But he was very much, very strong on the military. And I built a great military, and he helped me. We built it during my first term and we use it now,” the president added. 

Trump is set to speak at Graham’s funeral service later today at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. 

The president described the late South Carolina senator as a “great guy” and “great politician.” 

He was able to bring people together,” Trump said about Graham’s influence in the Senate. “If I needed a Democrat, he could usually produce that Democrat, if I had to have them in an emergency. He was a great politician and a great gentleman.” 

The hearse carrying the body of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has arrived Tuesday morning at the U.S. Capitol rotunda.

Vice President JD Vance is among the speakers set to pay tribute to Graham in a ceremony that will begin shortly.

As Washington, D.C., prepares to say its final goodbyes to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, his last legislative crusade is inching closer to the finish line.

Graham's impact on the world stage will draw several to the services in Washington, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The latter is set to speak with lawmakers Tuesday morning as the Senate prepares to move on Graham’s passion project: inflicting bone-crushing sanctions on Russia in response to the war in Ukraine.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., quoted Graham in relaying the significance of the sanctions package moving forward and the impact it would have on his legacy.

"To quote Senator Graham, ‘It's a big effing deal. We all did well. We all did good,’" Blumenthal told Fox News Digital. "Those were among the last comments he made to me. Neither of us knowing, you know, that he was going to pass, but it is a profoundly significant part of his legacy."

Blumenthal and a growing bipartisan group of senators have revamped the legislation once more, including changing the name to honor Graham, a move pushed by his sister and newly appointed Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C.

But the work is not done, he said.

"It's going to be a very important part of his legacy, and it is a tribute, a fitting and appropriate tribute to him," Blumenthal said. "I hope it passes. We're not there yet."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up the sanctions package, which now includes sanctions against Iran, for a vote last week. Lawmakers are expected to get a chance to move the legislation through a key procedural hurdle Tuesday night, hours after Graham’s service at the National Cathedral.

The funeral services for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., will begin Tuesday in Washington, D.C., with an arrival ceremony at the U.S. Capitol building and remarks from Vice President JD Vance.

“In recognition of Graham’s decades of service in the Air Force, his remains will be carried into the U.S. Capitol by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team,” Graham's office said. “Following arrival to the Rotunda, the Armed Forces Body Bearer Team will be replaced by a U.S. Capitol Police memorial guard in recognition of his service in the U.S. Senate. There will be a short program in recognition of Senator Graham’s decades of service in the U.S Senate.” 

That program is expected to begin at 10 a.m. ET, with Vance, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., set to deliver remarks. 

“Following the Rotunda ceremony, his remains will depart to Washington National Cathedral for a funeral service starting at 2:00 p.m. Service participants will include a tribute from President Donald J. Trump, with others to be announced,” Graham’s office added.