Senate Majority Leader John Thune delivered an emotional tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham on Monday, remembering his confidant, trusted advisor, and friend.
Thune pointed to the desk where Graham used to sit, covered in a black veil with a bowl of striking white roses on top. Graham spent 30 years in Washington, D.C., making a significant impact on his state and country. Thune noted that the halls of the Senate already feel empty without him.
Thune recalled Graham's frequent visits to his office just off the Senate floor, where he would often talk down Republican rebels who threatened to sink President Donald Trump's bills, as well as his resistance to a deal struck by Senate Minority Leader Schumer and the president to avert a government shutdown.
Graham was fearless in his commitment to the causes he believed in, Thune said, and was undaunted by the politics if he believed he was right on principle. Thune described Graham as "Senator. Warrior. Patriot. Statesman," but most of all, as his friend.
Shortly after Thune's tribute, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster officially tapped Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill his seat for the remainder of his term, a move backed by Thune, Trump, and Sen. Tim Scott.
Nordone said at the ceremony that she thinks this is what Lindsey would have wanted, and she plans to honor him in this way. Back in the Senate, Thune remembers Graham as a "staunch conservative and a fierce advocate for South Carolina," but also as a lawmaker who was willing to cross the aisle to find a solution.
Thune said he will miss Graham's friendship and humor, but is comforted by the knowledge that in the end, he has just changed his address. Thune expressed his hope that one day, they will laugh together again.
