FACT FOCUS: Sen. Lindsey Graham's sudden death spurs false claims

Sen. Lindsey Graham's unexpected death on Saturday night fueled baseless speculation on social media that his passing was the result of a criminal action.

Among the onslaught were posts that falsely accused foreign powers, including Russia, Iran, Ukraine and Israel, of assassinating the South Carolina Republican. Others touched on broader conspiracy theories saying his travel schedule made it impossible for him to have died in Washington, or alleged that the FBI's assistance of local authorities is proof of foul play.

But preliminary findings by a medical examiner do not indicate anything of the sort.

Here's a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: Sen. Lindsey Graham's death was the work of criminal actions.

THE FACTS: This is baseless. Graham, who was 71, died following a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary medical examiner finding shared by his office. An official cause of death will be disclosed after toxicological and microscopic testing.

The tear in the inner wall of his aorta, called an aortic dissection, was related to the hardening of Graham's arteries, the finding stated. His office originally said he had suffered from a “brief and sudden illness.”

Many social media posts blamed countries including Russia, Iran, Ukraine and Israel for Graham's death.

“Graham inspected a drone factory in Ukraine yesterday,” reads one popular post on X Sunday. “Russia blew up that facility today. Then, tonight, it is announced that Graham is dead of a ‘sudden illness.’ No more details. I'd say there is a decent chance that Russia blew up Lindsey Graham.”

Another post on the platform states, in reference to Israel's national intelligence agency: “Most realistic it was Mossad job in order to push Trump to renew full scale war with Iran. It clearly means ‘you are the next’. Lindsey Graham was the shadow of Trump, his black self.”

A noted foreign policy hawk, Graham was one of the most influential figures in Washington on international affairs and he advised Trump on matters such as the Iran war and Russia. On Friday, Graham had announced an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions during a trip to Ukraine.

He was also one of the chief backers of Trump’s war in Iran, having advocated for years for direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Graham was a strong ally of Israel whose position toward the war in Gaza in particular angered many in the Middle East, including U.S. allies who advocated a diplomatic solution.

Other posts on social media argued that it would have been impossible for Graham to get home from Ukraine in time to die in Washington and questioned whether FBI activity at Graham's house indicated that there is more to his death than is being reported.

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in an X post on Sunday morning that “the FBI is assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available.”

Asked for further comment on Monday, the FBI said it has “nothing to add."

Experts say that it is not uncommon for misinformation to spread after major news events.

“The sudden death of a high-profile, polarizing figure like Lindsey Graham is especially fertile ground for conspiracy theories in part because it generates intense emotional reactions — shock, grief, anger, even relief or schadenfreude — depending on where someone stands politically,” said Callie Kalny, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Kentucky. “Under these circumstances, a dramatic explanation about Graham's death — for instance, that a foreign adversary was involved — might simply feel more compelling or more emotionally satisfying than the reality of an aortic dissection.”

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

FILE - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington,, July 11, 2017, during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services committee. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor Sara Rodriguez said Monday that she discovered her campaign has hundreds of thousands dollars less cash than she thought after campaign ads slated to run last week did not air because of unpaid invoices.

Rodriguez, the current lieutenant governor, announced late Sunday night that she had fired her campaign manager just a month before the Aug. 11 primary after discovering contributions had been double counted and expenses were undercounted, leading to her campaign having far less money than she thought.

Rodriguez, at a news conference surrounded by supporters, vowed to remain in the race while calling the issue a “bump in the road.”

“This campaign is going to move forward," she said in the appearance at her campaign headquarters.

Rodriguez is in a competitive primary for Wisconsin’s open governor’s race against democratic socialist Francesca Hong; former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes; state Sen. Kelda Roys and Joel Brennan, a former top aide to Gov. Tony Evers. Evers has not endorsed anyone in the primary.

The winner of the primary will advance to the general election against Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who faces only token primary opposition.

Barnes' campaign manager Darby O’Connor said a mistake like this is “unheard of in professional politics” and said "a campaign this poorly mismanaged stands no chance against Tom Tiffany this fall.”

Hong said in a statement that she was focused on her campaign, but "it’s vital that everyone running for this position is creating a standard of trust, honesty and accountability.”

Brennan called the errors by Rodriguez’s campaign “disqualifying.”

Roys spokesperson Jalen Knuteson said the issue contributed to a pattern showing that "Rodriguez is unprepared for the rigors of a general election or governing.”

Last week Rodriguez announced a $1 million television ad campaign buy. But when the ads didn't start running as expected, she said she began asking questions and discovered the problems in the campaign reports.

“I am hurt, angry and deeply disappointed by someone I trusted to run my campaign,” Rodriguez said of her fired campaign manager, Kara Spencer. “I was continually getting inaccurate reports from my campaign manager.”

Spencer did not return a message seeking comment.

Rodriguez's next report covering money raised and spent over the first six months of the year is due on Wednesday.

Rodriguez said her campaign immediately notified the Wisconsin Ethics Commission on Monday and was working with them to correct the report filed in January that covers donations and expenditures made last year.

The $618,000 she reported raising in 2025 was the second highest of any Democratic candidate, behind only Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley who brought in about $800,000. Crowley dropped out of the race last week and endorsed Rodriguez after she announced a $1 million campaign TV ad buy.

Another former Democratic candidate, former state economic development director Missy Hughes, endorsed Rodriguez after she ended her campaign last month.

Rodriguez said the ads that were supposed to start last week would begin airing next week. She would not say exactly how much her filing was off by because the work to reconcile the books was ongoing. But she said her campaign had raised about $1 million and had about $200,000 cash on hand.

Rodriguez said she was being up front about what happened.

“If I were trying to hide something I would be here today telling you about it," she said at the news conference. “Most people are not going to stand in front of this many cameras and microphones to talk about fixing an error.”

Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor Sara Rodriguez speaks to supporters, Monday, July 13, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)