Sen. Lindsey Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday night fueled baseless speculation on social media that his passing was the result of a criminal action.
Among the onslaught were posts that falsely accused foreign powers, including Russia, Iran, Ukraine and Israel, of assassinating the South Carolina Republican. Others touched on broader conspiracy theories saying his travel schedule made it impossible for him to have died in Washington, or alleged that the FBI’s assistance of local authorities is proof of foul play.
But preliminary findings by a medical examiner do not indicate anything of the sort.
Here’s a closer look at the facts.
CLAIM: Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death was the work of criminal actions.
THE FACTS: This is baseless. Graham, who was 71, died following a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary medical examiner finding shared by his office. An official cause of death will be disclosed after toxicological and microscopic testing.
The tear in the inner wall of his aorta, called an aortic dissection, was related to the hardening of Graham’s arteries, the finding stated. His office originally said he had suffered from a “brief and sudden illness.”
Many social media posts blamed countries including Russia, Iran, Ukraine and Israel for Graham’s death.
“Graham inspected a drone factory in Ukraine yesterday,” reads one popular post on X Sunday. “Russia blew up that facility today. Then, tonight, it is announced that Graham is dead of a ‘sudden illness.’ No more details. I’d say there is a decent chance that Russia blew up Lindsey Graham.”
Another post on the platform states, in reference to Israel’s national intelligence agency: “Most realistic it was Mossad job in order to push Trump to renew full scale war with Iran. It clearly means ‘you are the next’. Lindsey Graham was the shadow of Trump, his black self.”
A noted foreign policy hawk, Graham was one of the most influential figures in Washington on international affairs and he advised Trump on matters such as the Iran war and Russia. On Friday, Graham had announced an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions during a trip to Ukraine.
He was also one of the chief backers of Trump’s war in Iran, having advocated for years for direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Graham was a strong ally of Israel whose position toward the war in Gaza in particular angered many in the Middle East, including U.S. allies who advocated a diplomatic solution.
Other posts on social media argued that it would have been impossible for Graham to get home from Ukraine in time to die in Washington and questioned whether FBI activity at Graham’s house indicated that there is more to his death than is being reported.
FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in an X post on Sunday morning that “the FBI is assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available.”
Asked for further comment on Monday, the FBI said it has “nothing to add.”
Experts say that it is not uncommon for misinformation to spread after major news events.
“The sudden death of a high-profile, polarizing figure like Lindsey Graham is especially fertile ground for conspiracy theories in part because it generates intense emotional reactions – shock, grief, anger, even relief or schadenfreude – depending on where someone stands politically,” said Callie Kalny, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Kentucky. “Under these circumstances, a dramatic explanation about Graham’s death – for instance, that a foreign adversary was involved – might simply feel more compelling or more emotionally satisfying than the reality of an aortic dissection.”
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