Watch live: Sen. Lindsey Graham funeral service in South Carolina
A funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham is being held in his home state of South Carolina.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Graham represented South Carolina in the House and Senate for more than three decades. He died after what a preliminary report from the D.C. medical examiner’s office said was a tear in his aorta.
On Tuesday, a separate service was held in Washington, D.C. where President Donald Trump joined foreign leaders at Washington National Cathedral for a funeral that emphasized Graham’s global importance.
Trump called Graham "a giant of the United States Senate" and "a true American original who left us much too soon." In mostly prepared remarks, he described Graham as someone who could make people laugh and someone "you’ve really ever wanted to fight." Trump recounted publicly sharing Graham’s cellphone number during the 2016 campaign, joking that Graham "did not stop calling me for the next 10 years."
Among those attending were Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaders of nations at war and a reflection of Graham’s belief in U.S. military strength. Fox News’ Sean Hannity said Graham would have been moved by their presence. Cabinet officials, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, lawmakers and Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham, joined for the service.
Timeline:
Funeral services will begin with a final visit to the South Carolina State House at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the senator’s official website.
The funeral procession, which the public is welcome to attend, will begin on the south side of the State House to the north side via the west walkway.
Graham’s remains will be carried out by the South Carolina State Guard caisson detachment.
A presentation by law enforcement from agencies across the state will be on the north steps of the State House.
There will be a pause followed by an F-16 flyover piloted by the 169th Fighter Wing from McEntire Joint National Guard Base at 11 a.m. ET.
The caisson will proceed down Main Street and will arrive at First Baptist Church of Columbia.
Church doors will officially open at 10 a.m. ET and the service will begin at 12 p.m. ET.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from Senator Lindsey Graham’s official website and previous reporting by The Associated Press. This story was reported from San Jose