Washington Bids Farewell to Lindsey Graham

The casket of the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was taken on Tuesday to the Washington National Cathedral for a funeral service attended by US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and dozens of senior officials.

Earlier that day, lawmakers paid tribute to Graham in the Capitol Rotunda, remembering him as a sociable, witty and persuasive politician whose outspoken support for an assertive foreign policy made him one of the Republican Party's most prominent foreign policy hawks.

Trump, whom Graham had criticized early in his political career before later becoming one of his closest allies, delivered a eulogy at the funeral.

“In the end, it really developed into a great friendship”, Trump said earlier in the day in an interview with Fox News, praising Graham for helping him navigate Washington politics. “If I needed a Democrat, he could usually get him on the phone for me if I had to have him in a pinch. He was a great politician and a great gentleman.”

Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, died suddenly on 11 July at the age of 71 from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. He was a leading advocate of a strong US military, regularly called for a more assertive US role on the world stage and was a steadfast supporter of both Israel and Ukraine, whose leaders traveled to Washington for his funeral.

(Reuters, im)