Thune Pays Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Senator Lindsey Graham

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, I come to the floor today with a heavy heart. “I look to my right and I see a desk which we in the Senate refer to and know as the John Calhoun desk. “It’s covered with a black shroud. “And on … top of that shroud is a bowl of white roses. “That, Mr. President, is Lindsey Graham’s desk. “It’s difficult to believe that Lindsey Graham is no longer here with us – that we won’t run into him at a meeting today, or share a joke with him at this afternoon’s vote. “The halls of the Senate already feel empty without him. “And I know I’m not alone in that feeling. “He was a friend to so many of us, on both sides of the aisle. “And I know that I’m not the only one who finds it difficult to imagine the Senate without Lindsey Graham. “Mr. President, the events of Lindsey’s life have been well-documented over the past couple of days. “His humble beginnings in South Carolina, sharing a single room with the rest of his family behind his family’s bar. “His guardianship of his younger sister Darline, after the untimely death of their parents. “His long service in the Air Force, the South Carolina Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve. “His career in politics, first as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives; then as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where I served with him for six years; and then in the Senate, where he was just completing his fourth term. “In the Senate, Lindsey distinguished himself as a staunch conservative – and a fierce advocate for South Carolina – but also as someone who was willing to work across the aisle to find common ground and to reach solutions. “A lawyer by trade, he served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2021, where he helped confirm a Supreme Court justice and numerous federal judges – the kind of judges who believe in following the law and the Constitution, instead of legislating policy from the bench. “Most of all, of course, Mr. President, Lindsey was known for his national security and foreign policy work. “There was no bigger believer in America’s role in the world. “He was confident that the United States could be a force for good, and he gave everything he had to ensuring that we would be. “He was a friend and defender of freedom-loving peoples all over the world. “He stood with the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russian aggression, and he died with his boots on, having just returned from a trip to Ukraine – his tenth. “He believed fiercely in the importance of a strong national defense – in ensuring that our country, and our military men and women, were always prepared to deter and defeat any threat. “But while there was always a lot made of his support for American hard power, he was also a big believer in the use of soft power – economic, diplomatic, and political solutions to the world’s problems. “I was fortunate to travel with him all over the world – including to Israel after Hamas’ October 7th attack – and I saw firsthand the work that he did to promote American security and the security of freedom-loving peoples around the globe. “And of course, I don’t need to tell anyone in this body that Lindsey was fearless in his commitment to the causes that he espoused. “It didn’t matter to him whether he would catch flack on an issue – he was undaunted by the politics if he believed he was right on the principle. “Senator. Warrior. Patriot. Statesman. “Words that will be written about Lindsey. “But for me, most of all, Mr. President, he was my friend. “‘Without friends,’ Aristotle said, ‘no one would choose to live’ … ‘though he had all other goods.’ “And it’s difficult to count the ways in which Lindsey’s friendship made this job richer – and its burdens lighter. “Lindsey was as loyal as they come – and a trusted adviser. “I could always rely on him for straight-talking advice. “He never minced words or pulled punches. “I could also rely on him for a steady flow of humor and encouragement. “He always could make me laugh. “Always. “In the last couple of years, he came to South Dakota twice, and twice we sat on the deck and watched the sun go down on Lake Oahe – a familiar scene to me but new to him. “And as the stars came out, you could see the Milky Way overhead and you could hear coyotes howling and rooster pheasants cackling down below. “Lindsey’s wit punctuated all of it. “And I will cherish those memories for a long time to come. “Mr. President, if there is any light to be found in this grief, it is this: “That as a Christian, like Lindsey, I know that death is not the end. “The Apostle Paul writes, and I quote, ‘Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.’ “Or as another Graham once put it, and I quote, ‘Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.’ “I will miss Lindsey’s friendship, Mr. President, more than I can say. “We pray for his staff and for his family, whom he loved dearly, and who loved him dearly in return. “But I am comforted by the knowledge that in the end, he has just changed his address. “And that one day, Mr. President, we will laugh together again.”