Ex-DHS official says Graham’s death warrants 'full government investigation'

Conservative Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-South Carolina) sudden death over the weekend at 71 sent shockwaves through Washington, DC. Graham, according to a preliminary medical report, appeared to die of heart disease. But former Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor, in the UK-based i Paper, argues that Graham's unexpected death warrants a "full government investigation."

"I was a longtime critic of the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who I believe betrayed his values in pursuit of Donald Trump's approval," Taylor explains in the i Paper. "Yet I believe the suspicious circumstances around his sudden death, in addition to his significant role in some of the world's most dangerous conflicts, warrant a full government investigation. To be clear at the outset: there is no evidence of foul play so far. The preliminary finding from the Washington, DC medical examiner points to a ruptured aorta caused by chronic heart disease, a killer that often strikes without warning. Graham's own father died of a heart attack in his sleep at 69. Natural causes may well be the whole story."

Taylor continues, "But within hours of the 71-year-old's passing, something remarkable happened. An Iranian government-linked propaganda outlet appeared to take credit."

That outlet, according to Taylor, posted an AI video that depicted Graham being "ticked off a kill list." In the video, Taylor notes, a "hooded figure" is depicted "slipping into the senator’s home at night and triggering a fatal cardiac event."

The conservative Taylor, who served as chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during Trump's first presidency, isn't known for being a conspiracy theorist. And after leaving the first Trump administration, he became openly critical of Trump and the MAGA movement — rooting for Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. But in light of the Iran-linked AI video, Taylor argues, Graham's death needs to be investigated.

"By Monday afternoon, (July 13), two days after the senator's death, FBI agents descended on his Capitol Hill home," Taylor explains. "Witnesses described at least five agents moving in and out of the residence, some wearing latex gloves, while investigators interviewed neighbors. FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau has made every necessary resource available to the investigation, even as a law enforcement source insists that nothing so far suggests foul play. Trump's FBI director, someone I have also frequently criticized, did the right thing."

The Never Trump conservative continues, "With America's adversaries openly celebrating a senator's death and hinting they had a hand in it, a serious, transparent investigation is warranted to rule that out credibly and completely[.] I was no admirer of Graham. I watched him sacrifice principle after principle in pursuit of Trump's approval, and I have called that what it was. Cowardice. I will not launder that judgement now that he is gone. But Graham was elected by the people of South Carolina, and whatever his politics, every citizen should be equally appalled by the prospect of a foreign government threatening our elected leaders — let alone touching them."