President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the FBI was wasting its time investigating the sudden death of Lindsey Graham after FBI agents were seen at Graham’s home on Monday. Trump made the remarks in the Oval Office as reporters pressed him about the federal presence just blocks from the Capitol.
Trump said he had reviewed the medical reports on Graham and had already been briefed by White House doctors. Washington’s chief medical examiner said a preliminary examination found aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and authorities were still awaiting toxicology and other testing results.
Oval Office remarks Tuesday
Trump told reporters, “I know there’s all sorts of conspiracy theories going along, and I think the FBI is wasting their time if they’re doing that.” He also said, “I don’t see a lot of evil there,” and added that Graham’s father had died of heart complications at a relatively young age.
On Monday night, Trump was asked on Newsmax about the theories circulating around Graham’s death and whether Russia could have poisoned him. He replied, “Just to answer the conspiracy theory, I’d love to say yes, but I think he — he had some problems,” and added, “I’m a believer in the racehorse theory, you know, if you have problems, you have problems.”
FBI presence on Capitol Hill
Trump’s comments followed a Monday afternoon scene in which nearly 20 FBI and other federal agents were observed outside Graham’s rowhouse on Capitol Hill. Multiple FBI agents entered the home and were seen taking photographs, but they did not appear to be removing items.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency was assisting local authorities in the matter. Two law enforcement sources familiar with the scene said federal agents continued to investigate Graham’s death out of an abundance of caution, and that no new evidence had arisen since Saturday night to indicate foul play.
Darline Graham appointed Monday
On Monday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s only sibling, to fill out the remainder of her late brother’s term. The appointment keeps the vacancy process moving while the inquiry around Graham’s death continues and the final test results are still pending.
The open question now is why FBI agents were specifically at Graham’s home on Monday, beyond the wider federal presence described by Patel and the law enforcement sources.
