President Donald Trump says he spoke with Senator Lindsey Graham just two hours before the South Carolina Republican died, and he thought Graham was doing fine.
Trump made the revelation during a Sunday morning phone interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. He said Graham indicated he was tired during their call the previous evening.
Graham died from a brief and sudden illness shortly after that conversation, according to his staff. An exact cause of death has not been released.
CNN obtained dispatch audio from a 911 call reporting chest pains and possible cardiac arrest at Graham's Washington, D.
C. home.
Trump told Tapper he learned of Graham's death at 2 AM Sunday. In his opinion, Graham must have died quickly given their recent call.
When Tapper tried to shift the discussion to the Iran war, Trump became slightly annoyed and said out of respect for Graham he would not talk about the Middle East.
Trump then pivoted to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, calling Graham's defense of Kavanaugh during his 2018 confirmation hearings his "finest moment."
Kavanaugh's confirmation was nearly derailed by sexual misconduct allegations from his youth. He eventually became a sitting Supreme Court justice.
Tapper ended the call by inviting Trump back on his show, but the president did not accept.
