An emotional Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) on Monday eulogized Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), his longtime friend and colleague who died on Saturday.
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Standing near from Graham’s desk on the Senate floor, which was draped with a black cloth and a bowl of white roses, Thune, his voice cracking, extolled Graham as a trusted adviser who could always make him laugh.
“It’s difficult to believe that Lindsey Graham is no longer here with us — that we won’t run into him at a meeting today or share a joke with him at this afternoon’s vote,” Thune said. “The halls of the Senate already feel empty without him.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and other senators in both parties have called for honoring Graham by taking up legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia, which Graham was working to pass before his death. Graham said Friday that he had reached an agreement with White House to support the bill after months of negotiations.
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Thune said Monday on CNN that he hoped the Senate could pass the bill as a tribute to Graham but did not say when the chamber might vote on it.
“I think there is a sanctions bill that could get 80 to 90 votes in the Senate,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out exactly what that is.”
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