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Millions were stunned this morning by the news that Senator Lindsey Graham had died.
Graham was only 71 — and he wasn’t the senator that was expected to pass away this week.
Now, questions and speculation about Graham’s final hours are running rampant on social media, and two very different sources are providing illuminating information.
Less than a day after the longtime South Carolina lawmaker died following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness,” newly released 911 dispatch audio has provided a clearer picture of the frantic response at his Washington, D.C., home.
According to the dispatch recordings obtained by CNN, emergency crews were sent to Graham’s residence around 8:30 p.m. Saturday after receiving a report that the senator was suffering from chest pains.
The situation quickly escalated.
Responders were then advised that the patient had gone into cardiac arrest, prompting paramedics to rush to the home. But when they arrived, they encountered another obstacle: the front door was locked.
Dispatch audio indicates that first responders were ultimately able to gain entry, with assistance from law enforcement, before beginning CPR on the patient.
Graham was then transported for emergency medical treatment, but he could not be saved.
The newly released recordings come just hours after Graham’s office announced his unexpected passing in a statement shared Saturday night.
No official cause of death has yet been released beyond the description of a “brief and sudden illness.”
Additional details have also emerged about Graham’s final conversations before the medical emergency.
President Donald Trump revealed Sunday that he spoke with the senator just hours before his death and said nothing during the call suggested a medical crisis was imminent.
“What makes it even stranger is that I got a call last night, sometime [in] the early evening,” Trump said on Meet the Press Sunday morning.
“I thought he was just fine,” the president elaborated during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, adding that Graham mentioned feeling tired but otherwise sounded like himself.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.