Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime friend of John McCain, on Tuesday revealed the late Arizona senator’s last words to him.
“Literally, almost the last thing he said to me was ’I love you. I have not been cheated,’ ” Mr. Graham said.
The South Carolina senator opened up about his close friend during a tearful interview on NBC’s “Today” show.
Mr. Graham said Mr. McCain would be the one person, “with an assist from [speechwriter] Mark Salter,” to describe Americans to aliens because of his romantic ideas about the country.
“John has shown it’s not about you,” Mr. Graham said. “Country first means that even if it’s inconvenient for you and it’s uncomfortable, you do it anyway. Country first hurts. But it’s the first way to go.”
Mr. Graham has been a vocal supporter of President Trump recently but wanted to focus on Mr. McCain, not the tension over the flags and delayed White House statement.
However, he did specifically thank Chief of Staff John F. Kelly for reaching out and offering support to Mr. McCain’s family.
“How the president feels about John McCain is his right to feel any way he’d like,” Mr. Graham said, “I know how America feels about John McCain. I know how to the Senate feels about John McCain. I know how the world feels about John McCain.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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