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President Donald Trump said the FBI was “wasting their time” if they were looking into the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the president, who died on July 11 after a sudden illness.A preliminary medical examiner’s report indicated that Graham, 71, died of an "aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” his office said in a statement on July 12. The condition causes the inner lining of the body's main artery to become damaged, pushing blood through the artery's walls.Asked by a reporter whether he had any knowledge of why the FBI was looking into Graham's death at an event in the Oval Office on July 14, Trump’s said he didn't.“I don't see a lot of evil there, I don’t. I know there's all sorts of conspiracy theories going along,” Trump said. “I think the FBI’s wasting their time if they're doing that.”Trump has previously said that he might have been the last person to speak to Graham, a four-term senator from South Carolina, on the phone before his death, and that he had “sounded a little tired.” He said Graham had just landed from Ukraine and called him around 7 p.m., in an interview with NBC's Kristine Welker on "Meet the Press" on July 12.Trump recommended Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster as a replacement for the Senate seat. McMaster announced his appointment of Graham Nordone as the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate on July 13. Graham Nordone is expected to be sworn in at the Capitol at 2:30 p.m. ET July 14.On Saturday, around 8:30 p.m. ET, emergency personnel were dispatched to Graham's home on Capitol Hill after a report of someone suffering chest pain, according to audio on the Broadcastify website, which archives public safety radio feeds.The dispatcher indicated that the caller, an unidentified woman, was on her way to the home from Baltimore, according to the audio. The dispatcher said the caller believed the door was unlocked, but emergency responders said it was deadbolted shut and no one came to the door after they knocked repeatedly.FBI Director Kash Patel on July 12 said the FBI was "assisting local authorities" in an X post on Graham's death.Trump told Welker that emergency responders appeared to have arrived at Graham's home shortly after their call ended."I mean, it must have been right after that because I understand the police, or whoever it is, came there about 7:30, 8 o’clock in the evening," Trump told Welker on "Meet the Press." “He sounded a little tired, but perfect, but a little bit tired, and had a right to be. Man, he was a worker. He was really a worker.”Graham was running for reelection, aiming for a fifth term.On Tuesday, Trump said he had been briefed about the medical condition leading to Graham’s death.“I've watched all the medical reports, I've had the doctors from the White House come in and explain what happened,” Trump said. “And this is something that is very almost undetectable.”“He did have clogged arteries. He had a problem with that. I wish he took better care of himself,” Trump added.Contributing: Christopher Cann
