On Saturday night, emergency dispatch audio reviewed by News Media revealed a swift response to Senator Lindsey Graham’s residence in Washington, D.C. First responders were sent to the scene due to a call reporting cardiac arrest. The next morning, the senator’s office announced his death.
The radio traffic from District of Columbia Fire and EMS detailed the initial dispatch arriving just after 8 p.m. local time. Initial reports specified the reason for the call as cardiac arrest at Graham’s address.
As emergency units made their way to the location, dispatchers informed them that the caller had stated the front door would be unlocked. However, upon arrival, they found the door was firmly locked and no one answered from inside. Consequently, the first responders requested backup from the Metropolitan Police Department to assist in gaining entry.
Approximately 20 to 25 minutes following the initial dispatch, radio communications confirmed that CPR was being administered by the emergency crew members working inside the senator’s home. Notably, the audio recordings did not mention Graham by name nor did they provide any specifics regarding the patient’s condition.
In subsequent radio traffic, authorities classified the situation as a “Capitol Police matter only,” reflecting its sensitive nature. The final relevant update over the radio was logged shortly after 9:30 p.m.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died on Saturday, July 11, 2026. He was 71. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The dispatch recordings provide few additional details about what responders encountered inside the residence or what medical care, if any, was provided before Graham’s death.
Graham’s office later announced the 71-year-old senator died Saturday evening following a “brief and sudden” illness.
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” his office wrote in a statement.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement continued.
Emergency dispatch audio reviewed by News Media documents the emergency response before Graham’s office announced his death. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia released preliminary findings on Sunday suggesting Graham died from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
“The preliminary examination findings were: Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease,” according to the medical examiner’s office.
Officials added Graham’s death certificate will remain pending until toxicology and microscopic testing are complete.
“The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” the medical examiner’s office said.
News Media has reached out to DC Fire and EMS and the U.S. Capitol Police for additional information about the emergency response.
President Donald Trump called Graham a “true American Patriot” in a Truth Social post honoring him. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump paid tribute to Graham in a Truth Social post Saturday night, calling the longtime South Carolina lawmaker “a true American Patriot.”
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump wrote. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”
Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and took office in 2003 after serving four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He won re-election three times and was seeking a fifth Senate term after winning the Republican primary last month.
He served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and sat on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environment and Public Works committees.
The longtime lawmaker had just met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday and was scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning.
Beyond Congress, Graham served for 33 years in the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel in 2015.
An Air Force lawyer, he served in Germany during the Cold War, was called to active duty during the Gulf War and later completed multiple Reserve deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan during congressional recesses.