Emergency Audio Reveals Final Moments Before Graham Death Announcement

Clear Facts

• Emergency dispatch audio shows first responders were called to Senator Lindsey Graham’s D.C. home at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday for a reported cardiac arrest
• Medical examiners determined preliminary cause of death as aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease
• Graham, 71, served South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and was a 33-year Air Force veteran who retired as a colonel

Emergency dispatch audio obtained by Fox News Digital provides a timeline of the emergency response to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Washington, D.C., residence Saturday night, hours before his office announced the senator’s death Sunday morning.

District of Columbia Fire and EMS radio traffic shows the initial dispatch occurred shortly after 8 p.m. local time. First responders were sent to Graham’s home for a reported cardiac arrest.

According to the audio, dispatchers informed responding units that the caller reported the front door was unlocked. However, upon arrival, crews found the door locked with no response from inside. First responders then requested Metropolitan Police Department officers to force entry into the residence.

Approximately 20 to 25 minutes after the initial dispatch, radio traffic indicated CPR was in progress as emergency crews worked inside the home. The audio does not identify Graham by name or provide specific details about the patient’s condition.

Additional radio traffic revealed authorities stating the incident would be handled as a “Capitol Police matter only.” The final relevant radio transmission came through shortly after 9:30 p.m.

The dispatch recordings offer limited information about what responders encountered inside the residence or the extent of medical care provided.

Graham’s office released a statement announcing the senator’s death.

“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” his office wrote.

“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia released preliminary findings Sunday indicating 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 noted 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.

President Donald Trump honored Graham in a Truth Social post Saturday night.

“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!”

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.

The South Carolina senator served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and sat on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environment and Public Works committees.

Graham 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 his congressional service, Graham dedicated 33 years to the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel in 2015.

As 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.

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