The late Sen. Lindsey Graham was remembered Tuesday by President Donald Trump and others as a Senate technician and foreign policy powerhouse, as lawmakers joined world leaders and his loved ones during a Washington National Cathedral funeral service.
As the South Carolina Republican’s casket made its way into the massive chapel and bells rang through silence, Graham’s colleagues from his 31 years of service in the Senate and House stood solemnly. More than half the Senate was in attendance, joined by a few retired lawmakers, including former GOP Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Richard M. Burr of North Carolina and Roy Blunt of Missouri.
His eulogizers’ voices broke as they remembered the energetic, witty and affable Graham. That included Trump, who ended his tribute with words to his late friend not often heard from the hypermasculine chief executive: “We love you. God bless you. We will always be with you. And you were very, very special.”
A short time later, Emillie Boggs Roberts, the late senator’s niece, called him “the foundation of our family.”
“When you needed advice, a problem solved, or a helping hand, you turned to Lindsey,” she said. “Lindsey was always so supportive of me. That is just how he was — fiercely supportive, fiercely protective.”
