Leaders gather in Washington to pay their final tributes to Lindsey Graham

Politics Leaders gather in Washington to pay their final tributes to Lindsey Graham July 28, 20261:08 PM ET By  Barbara Sprunt A U.S. Capitol Police honor guard stands watch around the casket during a Congressional tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Jim LoScalzo/Pool-Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Jim LoScalzo/Pool-Getty Images With a flag-draped coffin at the center of the Capitol Rotunda, Republican senators past and present remembered the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in remarks that celebrated his far-reaching influence — from his home state of South Carolina to the international stage. Tuesday's ceremony at the Capitol was the first of two days of remembrances for Graham, who died earlier this month at the age of 71. It featured tributes from several of his party's most influential voices, who shared memories of Graham as a friend, a congressional mainstay and a leading voice in U.S. foreign policy. Sponsor Message Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., highlighted the scope of Graham's work over his three decades in Congress, from his role in judicial confirmations to his fierce defense of Ukraine to his support of the anti-abortion movement. Obituaries Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Trump ally and foreign policy hawk, dies at 71 With Graham's death, a "powerful voice" and a magnetic friend of the Senate was gone, Thune said. "There was no one — no one — who took his job more seriously than Lindsey Graham. But also, no one was more capable of cracking up a room," Thune said. Graham was often the first call for joint Senate dinners, where "the conversations and the laughs always flowed at any meal where Lindsey Graham was present." Graham was from Central, S.C., where he lived with his family in a single room behind their business that included a liquor store and restaurant. After his parents died, Graham became the primary caretaker for his sister Darline Graham, who has been ap...