(KIWA Staff Photo)
Statewide Iowa (RI) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham was an influential lawmaker who also had a knack for injecting levity during tense moments.
An initial report from the D.C. Medical Examiner indicates Graham likely died this past weekend from a tear in his aorta. Grassley and Graham served together for decades on the Senate Judiciary and Budget Committees.
Grassley posted a message on social media Sunday saying he was shocked to learn the 71-year-old senator had died. He describes Graham as a national figure and a national security hawk.
Grassley says the Senate should quickly pass that legislation in Graham’s honor.
Grassley, the Senate president pro tem, convened the Senate Monday afternoon and delivered the first speech on the Senate floor since Graham’s death.
Grassley says he was often the target of Graham’s jokes.
Iowa’s other U.S. Senator, Joni Ernst, says she is stunned and deeply saddened by Graham’s death, calling him a bold leader whose influence will be felt for generations.
