Lindsey Graham returns home one last time for his funeral in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham returned for the last time Wednesday to South Carolina, where powerful friends remembered him as someone who never stopped working for the state he loved.

After Graham was eulogized Tuesday in the nation's capital as an indefatigable dealmaker by the president, vice president and others, mourners in Columbia recalled him as the son of pool hall owners who “was born with a plastic fork in his mouth,” as former Rep. Trey Gowdy put it.

The Republican seemed to know every mayor and small-town police chief and the location of every Chick-fil-A in South Carolina, and made sure GOP candidates had money to run in legislative and local elections across the state.

“Lindsey Graham understood the hopes and dreams and needs of his state and delivered every time,” said Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who ended his remarks by telling Graham he loved him.

Graham died suddenly on July 11 at his home in Washington, likely of an aortic tear, according to preliminary findings. He had just returned from a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey, where he celebrated his 71st birthday, and a visit to Ukraine as he negotiated punishing sanctions against Russia. Senators voted late Tuesday to advance the package as a final gesture for their colleague.

Wednesday's funeral was at First Baptist, the giant downtown church where his predecessor Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond was eulogized 23 years ago.

One of Graham's many friends in Congress, Gowdy said the senator rose to power through humor, genuine caring for all people and a relentless work ethic. He joked the governor should change the name of the state capital of Columbia to honor Graham, even though his friend wouldn't want it.

“It wasn't the trapping of office he cared about. It was the work,” Gowdy said.

Gowdy spoke for nearly 30 minutes. He remembered a man who knew who he was, cast unpopular votes because they were the right thing to do, loved kids even though he was never married or a father — one joking bit of advice Graham gave youngsters was to “never do for yourself what someone else will do for you” — and was the least pretentious person in politics.

“He was the worst at carrying a grudge,” Gowdy related, drawing laughter from the crowd. “I had to keep a list of who we were mad at because he could not remember who had done what.”

People who thought Graham was a warmonger were wrong, Gowdy said. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that “Lindsey liked war.”

“Blessed be the peacemakers. He was on a trip that turned out to be his last trip trying to broker peace in a war where hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives,” Gowdy said.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the only remaining member of the South Carolina delegation in power when Graham arrived in Washington in 1995, read Psalm 23.

In a memory that reflected Graham's ability to see across party lines, McMaster recalled how Graham, newly elected to the Senate, grasped the hand of longtime Democratic Sen. Fritz Hollings and raised it up to a largely Republican crowd. Applause for Hollings had been “polite,” he said, but “began to swell” as Graham was announced.

“So there we were, if you get this picture, our two U.S. senators, hands held high, waving to the crowd, when the thunderous applause washed off both of them,” McMaster said. “I believe that not many men would have done what Lindsey did.”

On Tuesday, Graham’s flag-draped casket was at the U.S. Capitol, where the Republican spent more than 30 years talking and laughing and badgering his colleagues into action. Trump then joined foreign leaders at a memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham’s stature on the global stage, calling him “a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon.”

Wednesday's ceremonies began at the Statehouse, where Graham started his political career in 1993. A horse-drawn caisson carrying his casket paused in front of a dozen law enforcement officers for a flyover by four military jets, and then proceeded to the church, where his family followed military pallbearers inside. A 130-member choir sang hymns.

Hundreds of movers in South Carolina politics gathered, including both nominees for governor — Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson and Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson — along with longtime Republican politicians like former House Speaker and Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins and former U.S. Rep. Henry Brown.

Graham's burial Wednesday near his home in Pickens County was planned as a private ceremony.

Several speakers praised the senator's younger sister Darline Graham, who dabbed her eyes as she sat with her family in a front pew.

“What a powerful, graceful person to show up here under such immense pressure,” Sen. Tim Scott said in his eulogy.

Graham's death, after winning the Republican nomination for a fifth term, has created opportunities for political change. McMaster named Darline Graham to hold his seat until January. She then surprised many by deciding to run for the full six-year term herself.

Darline Graham now has eight competitors in a special primary on Aug. 11 to decide the Republican nominee, including former Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, all three of whom attended Wednesday’s service. Three other candidates who paid the filing fee were kicked off the ballot because they didn’t meet new party requirements. A runoff, if needed, is Aug. 25.

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

From left, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster; Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.; wife of Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Mindy Noce; Sen. Scott; and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attend the funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The casket of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is carried into First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., for a funeral service, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The casket of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is carried out of First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., following a funeral service, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., looks on as her brother's casket is carried out of First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., following a funeral service, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster speaks during the funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham's casket on a horse-drawn caisson arrives at First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

The casket of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sits at the front of First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., during a funeral service, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The casket of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is escorted into First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., for a funeral service Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

The flag-draped casket of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is carried on a horse-drawn caisson to his funeral at First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins).

The casket of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is escorted to First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., for a funeral service, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The casket of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is carried into First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., for a funeral service, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., left, who is running to fill the seat of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., greets an attendee before the late Sen. Graham's funeral at First Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A guest looks at the program during the service for Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

An Armed Forces Body Bearer Team places the flag-draped casket of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., cries during the funeral of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks at the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other guests, attend the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Tuesday July 28, 2026, at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese judge issued an order Wednesday that could lead to the arrest of prominent banker Antoun Sehnaoui if he returns to Lebanon over allegations of collaboration with Israel and violating laws prohibiting contact with Israelis, state media reported.

The order came days after Sehnaoui dined in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj of the Court of Cassation issued a 30-day notice directing security forces to locate and question Sehnaoui. The banker is in the United States, but the order could result in his detention upon his return to Lebanon.

Twenty Lebanese lawyers had filed a complaint earlier Wednesday with the public prosecutor's office in Beirut over Sehnaoui's meeting with Netanyahu.

Lebanon and Israel have been holding U.S.-backed direct talks for the first time in decades over the past three months, seeking an end to the latest fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s laws prevent its citizens from having contact with Israelis — the countries remain in a state of war since Israel was established in 1948 — and violators could face prison terms.

The conflict reignited in March, two days after Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, when Hezbollah fired at Israel and Israel responded with airstrikes and ground forces. More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed, and Israel still occupies dozens of villages and towns. The countries recently reached a framework agreement.

Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted a photo on X of Sehnaoui sitting at a restaurant table with Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. Ravid wrote that Sehnaoui and former U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus hosted a dinner Monday in memory of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham that was attended by Netanyahu and U.S. officials.

A Sehnaoui-linked website, This is Beirut, also reported details of what it called the “special dinner.”

Sehnaoui’s lawyer in Beirut did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

State-run National News Agency reported late Wednesday that al-Hajj's decision came after the Technical Information Office determined the photo was authentic and had not been altered, manipulated digitally or generated using artificial intelligence.

Four judicial officials said that after 30 days, the order issued by al-Hajj will be closed and transferred to the country's Military Court for it to issue an arrest warrant for Sehnaoui. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The complaint by the 20 lawyers said Sehnaoui committed “the crimes of contacting and dealing with the Israeli enemy, violating the Israel boycott law, the crime of treason and state security crimes.”

Two of the Lebanese lawyers who filed the complaint told The Associated Press that the Sehnaoui-Netanyahu meeting came as Israel’s military is still carrying out attacks on Lebanon.

One of the lawyers, Hassan Bazzi, said Sehnaoui violated the law and offended national sentiments. Bazzi said the lawyers hope the prosecutor’s office performs its duties “effectively and swiftly.”

A Lebanese foreign ministry official refused to comment when contacted by the AP.

Sehnaoui, who has been mostly based in the U.S. in recent years, has several businesses in Lebanon and abroad in sectors including banking, media and the film industry.

Like other senior bankers, Sehnaoui was harshly criticized following Lebanon's historic economic meltdown in 2019, when most people lost access to their money. The economic crisis was described by the World Bank as among the worst in the world since the 1850s.

Sehnaoui's meeting with the Israeli leader occurred as some in Lebanon have called for abolishing a 1955 law that bans dealing with Israel or having contacts with Israelis and punishes offenders with up to 10 years in jail.

An Arabic mock "wanted" poster of a Lebanese Chairman bank Antoun Sehnaoui, plastered by depositors protesters outside the Lebanese Central Bank, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. More than a dozen Lebanese lawyers on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, filed a complaint at the prosecutors' office in Beirut on Wednesday against a prominent local banker, saying he violated the country's laws by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington this week. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A mock "wanted" poster of Lebanese bank owner Antoun Sehnaoui, left, plastered by depositors protesters outside the Lebanese Central Bank, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. More than a dozen Lebanese lawyers on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, filed a complaint at the prosecutors' office in Beirut on Wednesday against a prominent local banker, saying he violated the country's laws by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington this week. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)