Trump's critic-turned-ally US Senator Lindsey Graham dies at 71

US Senator Lindsey Graham passed away on Saturday evening after a brief and sudden illness, the communications director for his office said in a post on X early on Sunday.

Graham, 71, was a prominent Republican senator from South Carolina.

Earlier in his career, he was a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump before becoming one of his most loyal allies on Capitol Hill.

“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” his office added.

Trump offered his condolences for the death of the US senator in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” Trump said.

Graham was elected to the US Senate in 2002. Before serving in the upper house, he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1994 for South Carolina’s third congressional district, according to his website.

A defence hawk, his website said he had “consistently pushed for outcomes in the War on Terror that protect our long-term national security interests.”

Graham recently served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Graham also served as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

He was also a strong supporter of Israel and a hawkish backer of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the news of Graham’s death left him “shocked and heartbroken.”

“Senator Graham was a beacon of moral clarity and a true leader of the US-Israel partnership,” he said in a post on X. “We will never forget how he stood by the people of Israel in our most difficult moments, and we will remain eternally grateful for his sense of justice, truth, and loyalty.”

“The people of Israel mourn his loss, and I will miss my great friend very dearly,” Herzog said.

Graham was not married and lived in Seneca, South Carolina ...