U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville revealed that one of his former staffers made the 911 call that brought emergency responders to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s home shortly before the South Carolina Republican’s death.
Tuberville (R-Auburn) told CBS News that his former scheduler later worked as Graham’s scheduler and received a call from the senator after he began experiencing chest pains.
“My former scheduler was Lindsey’s scheduler, and one of my staff members was with that scheduler that night,” Tuberville said.
Graham called the scheduler and told her, “Listen, I’m having chest pains. I need to do something,” according to Tuberville.
When she asked whether he had called 911, Graham responded, “No, that’s the reason I called you.”
The scheduler called 911 while she and another Tuberville staff member were watching a soccer game at a downtown Washington restaurant.
“By the time she got there, 911 had knocked the door down, and they were working on him,” Tuberville said.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) says his former staffer called 911 on behalf of Sen. Lindsey Graham after Graham said he was experiencing chest pains.
“By the time she got there, 911 had knocked the door down,” Tuberville said. “They were working on him.” pic.twitter.com/1qZqn5obDh
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 13, 2026
Graham died Saturday night at 71 after what his office initially described as a “brief and sudden illness.”
Preliminary findings from the District of Columbia medical examiner identified an aortic dissection related to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A final cause of death remains pending additional testing.
Tuberville used the CBS News interview to remember Graham as a tireless senator whose work regularly took him around the world.
“Lindsey basically worked himself to death,” Tuberville said. “Most of us have families. He didn’t have any family, and if we had a couple of days off, he went to that airport and he went somewhere to try to work out something for our country.”
Tuberville said Graham’s colleagues often returned from a Senate recess wondering where he had traveled and which foreign leaders he had met.
“Lindsey, where you been? Because you knew he’d been somewhere,” Tuberville said. “We either talked golf or we talked about him going overseas somewhere and talking to some ambassador or some president.”
Graham had returned from a trip to Ukraine shortly before his death. He was known throughout his more than three decades in Congress for his intense focus on national security and foreign policy.
“He was very well known. He was very smart. He knew foreign relations,” Tuberville said.
Tuberville also rejected conspiracy theories that emerged online following Graham’s sudden death.
“No, there’s no conspiracy theory here,” he said.
Graham represented South Carolina in the U.S. Senate from 2003 until his death.
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
