After MAGA conspiracy theories involving Russia and Iran flooded social media, preliminary medical report links Lindsey Graham's death to tear in the aorta wall

(WJCL News, Facebook)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Donald Trump's  staunchest supporters, likely died over the weekend from a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary medical-examiner finding. The tear in the inner wall of the aorta is called an aortic dissection and likely was related to the hardening of Graham's arteries. An official cause of death will be disclosed after toxicological and microscopic testing.

The report came after social media was inundated much of Sunday by rumors, mostly spread by Trump's MAGA supporters, that Russian operatives (apparently tied to Vladimir Putin) had poisoned Graham during or after a recent trip to Ukraine because of the senator's support for new, tough sanctions against Russia. This is from a report at Raw Story under the headline "'Get your tinfoil; MAGA chases 'conspiracy' clicks hours after Lindsey Graham's death":

Just hours after the 'sudden' death of Sen. Lindsey Graham was announced to the public, MAGA conspiracy theorists began chasing traffic with wild claims about the cause.

Questions do remain after Graham's office released a statement Sunday morning that was short on detail.

"On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to release more information after declaring on Truth Social Sunday morning that Graham "is dead!"

It was later revealed he died Saturday night at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. after reportedly suffering chest pains. "Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness," read the 2 a.m. statement. "Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period."

These sparse details proved fodder enough for conspiracy theories to thrive on X. 

 Libertarian talk show host Clint Russell told his nearly 300,000 followers to "get your tinfoil ready" before he suggested, without evidence, that Russia was somehow to blame for Graham's death in Washington, D.C.

Graham was in Ukraine as recently as Friday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reports show.

"I'd say there is a decent chance that Russia blew up Lindsey Graham," Russell wrote in a comment liked more than a thousand times.

"Graham is not just the most psychotic booster of Ukraine but he was also the biggest booster for arming Ukraine a decade ago (and likely the Maidan revolution) which really forced Russia to invade," Russell added. "This -could- be the warning shot to the political class that while Russia doesn't want WW3 they will extract a cost on the politicians themselves who are pushing for this endless war. It's now being reported he died of a heart attack. Sure, maybe. Idk."

MAGA influencer Laura Loomer also blamed Russia but she decided to tell her 1.9 million followers, again without evidence, that it was possible Russia had poisoned Graham with help from Iran. "There seriously needs to be an investigation," she wrote in a post liked nearly 10,000 times. "Russia just sent a delegation to Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran where the IRGC and funeral organizers was calling for myself, President Trump and Senator Graham to be assassinated. Lindsey Graham was in Ukraine one day ago calling for a Russian sanctions bill that he claimed the White House supports. Now he is suddenly dead from a random illness according to his staff. Did Russia just murder a US Senator?"

Will release of the preliminary medical report cause the conspiracy theories to die down? Probably not. But The Hill provides details about the early official findings under the headline "Preliminary findings refveal Graham died of 'aortic dissection': Medical examiner":

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) died on Saturday of an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the office of the Washington, D.C., chief medical examiner said Sunday.

“The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” noted the office of Dr. Francisco Diaz, the chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia.

In a joint statement, Diaz’s office and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department noted comprehensive toxicological and microscopic testing, the former of which will determine whether any substances were in Graham’s system, will “take time to complete.”

Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel responded to a call for “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s home in Capitol Hill on Saturday night, according to scanner audio obtained by NBC News. EMS personnel on the scene later administered CPR, according to audio.

Photographs from the scene obtained by NBC News showed paramedics carrying a person on a stretcher from Graham’s house to an ambulance, with police cars and fire trucks also on site.

While the Senate was on recess this past week, Graham traveled to Ukraine amid Russia’s continued invasion of its neighbor to the west. While there, the South Carolina Republican met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.

President Trump said Sunday he spoke to Graham on Saturday evening, shortly after the four-term senator returned to D.C. from Ukraine.

“He sounded a little tired, but perfect. But a little bit tired, he had a right to be,” Trump told host Kristen Welker on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”  

An aortic dissection is when a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body’s main artery, the aorta, according to the Mayo Clinic. Once blood rushes through the tear, the inner and middle layers of the artery will split, with the dissection often deadly if blood goes outside the artery.

The Mayo Clinic noted aortic dissections, while not very common, typically occur to men in their 60s and 70s. Symptoms of aortic dissections include sudden severe chest or upper back pain that spreads to the neck or back, sudden severe stomach pain or loss of consciousness.

Cardiovascular disease, a group of diseases impacting the heart and blood vessels, is the leading cause of death worldwide and in the U.S. as of 2022, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 

Those with a family history of heart disease are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, the latter clinic noted. Graham’s father, Florence Graham, died of a heart attack at the age of 68.