politics
Senate Swears In Darline Graham Nordone to Fill Brother's Seat
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday swore in Darline Graham Nordone on an interim basis to the seat held by her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who died suddenly of heart issues late Saturday evening.
Jul 15, 5:37 PM·2m read6 sources
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The U.S. Senate on Tuesday swore in Darline Graham Nordone to serve on an interim basis in the seat held by her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Graham died suddenly of heart issues late Saturday evening. Ahead of his death, Graham had been pushing for normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a sanctions package against Russia, and a more aggressive posture toward Iran.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Graham had worked on the sanctions package for a long time.
Thune told The Post he is unsure if any one person could fill the void on foreign policy left by Graham's death. He described Graham as a really effective voice on key issues and named Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker as one lawmaker who could become a prominent voice on foreign policy within the Senate GOP.
Thune said Darline Graham Nordone is very interested in continuing the things that were priorities for her brother. He called her appointment a great tribute to Graham's legacy. Thune paid tribute to Graham on the Senate floor on Monday and choked up publicly.
He recalled that Graham had an incredible wit and was very quick.
Developments Secretary of State Marco
Rubio joined the Senate GOP Conference lunch on Tuesday and reminisced with former colleagues about Graham. Thune said it is absolutely a great idea to rename the sanctions package bill after Graham. He stated the bill will be largely a result of Graham's determination, resilience, and relentless advocating.
Thune had a conversation with President Trump about the sanctions package. Trump expressed openness to the package and indicated Republicans may add Iran and Hezbollah to it. The sponsors of the bill on both sides are trying to figure out how adding those elements would affect the vote count.
Some have pushed for the Senate to pass the sanctions package against countries that purchase oil from Russia to honor Graham. Thune and Graham spent over two decades in the Senate together.
