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Lindsey Graham's journey from a pool hall to the heights of political power

The Associated Press (via WSAZ) · back to the audit
(AP) - Lindsey Graham, the garrulous son of South Carolina pool hall owners, rose to become a fixture on the global stage and one of the most prominent advocates of American military might in the U.S. Senate. A former military lawyer who reached the rank of colonel in the Air Force, the wisecracking Graham was known for his Southern drawl, political flexibility and reliably hawkish stance on foreign policy. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 as a determined opponent of Donald Trump, then became one of the new president's staunchest allies. In his typical high-energy manner, Graham had just returned to Washington from a trip to Ukraine, having announced a deal with the Trump administration for a new package of sanctions against Russia. He was due to appear on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday to discuss it. Trump appeared in the senator's place. 'I just can't believe it,' Trump said. 'He was like a member of the family.' Graham died Saturday night after what the Washington, D.C., medical examiner's office said was a rupture in his aorta stemming from the hardening of his arteries. He was 71. Graham was part of the 'Never Trump' movement during his 2016 run and feuded heatedly with his reality television star rival during the campaign. 'You know, run for president, but don't be the world's biggest jackass,' Graham said. In response, Trump announced Graham's cellphone number during a campaign rally. As a child, Graham had free rein of the Sanitary Cafe, where he occasionally would sneak a swig of beer or a puff on a customer's cigarette, he wrote in an autobiography. The patrons, who would take him hunting and fishing as if he were their own son, called him 'Stinkball.' Vice President JD Vance recalled experiencing Graham's approach to politics up close. 'I remember getting into a shouting match with Lindsey about a Ukraine funding bill at lunch and then learning the very next day that he was pushing rail legislation I really cared about behind the scenes,' Vance said.