President Donald Trump said the FBI is “wasting its time” investigating the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who died at 71 years old following a sudden illness.
Trump was pressed by a reporter in the Oval Office on Tuesday about whether he had any updates on the FBI’s investigation or knew why the agency was probing the death of the prominent South Carolina Republican.
The president shared that he did not have updates but noted that White House doctors explained the medical issue to him.
A preliminary report from the medical examiner found that Graham died from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a statement released by the office on July 12.
An aortic dissection happens when a tear develops in the inner layer of the body's main artery, allowing blood to flow between the layers of the artery wall.
Graham’s father, according to Trump, died of the same issue around the same age.
The condition was very hard to detect, Trump said, adding there wasn’t much Graham could do about it.
“You can detect it if you have a very bad back ... and he would tell me he had a bad back,” Trump told reporters.
Graham was one of Trump’s closest allies in the Senate. The prominent South Carolina Republican and former Air Force lawyer served in Congress for more than three decades.
Graham had already won the Republican primary for his Senate seat before his death. He had been seeking a fifth term this year.
His younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, was tapped by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to finish the rest of his term in the Senate. She was sworn in as interim senator on Tuesday afternoon.
“Lindsey was always there for me, and now I’ll be there for him,” she said, vowing to work hard and carry on her brother’s work in the Senate.