President Donald Trump said Tuesday he does not understand why the FBI was seen at the Washington home of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, dismissing speculation surrounding the South Carolina Republican’s death and suggesting federal investigators are “wasting their time.”
Speaking from the Oval Office while meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, Trump was asked about reports that FBI personnel had been at Graham’s residence following the senator’s death over the weekend.
“Well, I don’t know why because I think he had a problem,” Trump said. “His father had a pretty similar problem, as you know, it’s very unique.”
The president also rejected the growing number of conspiracy theories circulating online regarding Graham’s death.
“I don’t see a lot of evil there,” Trump said. “I know there’s all sorts of conspiracy theories going along and I think the FBI is wasting their time if they’re doing that.”
Graham died Saturday evening following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” On Sunday, the chief medical examiner issued a preliminary ruling that the 71-year-old senator died from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Trump said he had reviewed the available medical information and spoken with White House physicians about the circumstances surrounding Graham’s death.
“This is something that is very, almost undetectable and if it happens there’s not much you can do about it,” Trump said. “It sounds unfortunate but there’s not much you can do about it.”
The president also noted that he had initially heard Graham suffered from clogged arteries and expressed regret that the senator had not taken better care of his health.
“At first I heard it was clogged arteries,” Trump said. “Because he did have clogged arteries. He had a problem with that. He was – I wish he took better care of himself.”
Trump also pointed to Graham’s family history, noting that the senator’s father experienced a similar medical issue. Graham’s father died at age 69 after suffering a heart attack.
Questions surrounding Graham’s death intensified after FBI personnel were spotted outside the senator’s Washington residence on Monday. Their presence fueled speculation online about whether investigators believed additional circumstances could have been involved.
Among those raising questions was conservative commentator Laura Loomer, who posted on social media asking whether Graham “was poisoned by a foreign adversary either abroad or upon returning to the US?”
Former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York also publicly questioned the circumstances of Graham’s death.
“We need a full autopsy of Senator Lindsay Graham,” Santos wrote on social media. “I believe foul play could have been at play here.”
Despite the speculation, officials have not publicly indicated that investigators suspect criminal activity.
On Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was “assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available” following Graham’s death. The FBI has declined to comment further on what agents were doing or what specifically they were investigating.
The Metropolitan Police Department is leading the investigation into Graham’s death, according to Police Chief Jeffery Carroll.
Carroll and Dr. Francisco Diaz, Washington, D.C.’s chief medical examiner, also released a joint statement indicating that additional testing remains underway.
According to the statement, a complete toxicological examination and microscopic testing “will take time.”
While online speculation has continued following the senator’s death, Trump said he believes the available medical findings explain what happened and expressed skepticism that additional federal investigation would uncover anything different.
