The casket of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was brought to Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday for a funeral attended by US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and dozens of other senior officials.
Earlier in the day, members of Congress paid tribute to Graham at a memorial service in the US Capitol Rotunda. Graham, a senator from South Carolina, died suddenly on July 11 at the age of 71. A further service will be held Wednesday in South Carolina, where he will be laid to rest.
Trump delivered the main eulogy, describing Graham as "a beloved friend, a devoted brother, an admired statesman, a giant of the United States Senate and a true American original who was taken from us far too soon."
"For more than 30 years, nothing of consequence happened in this Capitol without Lindsey Graham knowing about it, and no legislation was passed without him having a say," Trump said. Graham "gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart, until that heart itself simply gave out," the president added.
"He was a force of nature. I will miss him very much," Trump concluded. "I have no doubt that he is looking down on us today, beaming with pride at his sister, Sen. Darline Graham," Trump said.
Their parents died when she was a child, and Graham, then a 21-year-old college student, became her legal guardian and raised her. She now holds his Senate seat after being appointed to complete his term and has announced that she will run in November for a full term, with Trump's endorsement.
Netanyahu and Zelenskyy, who met separately with Trump at the White House earlier Tuesday, spoke with one another before the funeral. The unusual conversation took place amid severe tensions between Kyiv and Tehran.
Last Saturday, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had attacked vessels in the Caspian Sea that were "used for military cargo shipments involving Iran." The following day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by warning that the attack would not go "unanswered."
