{"id":4340,"date":"2026-07-12T22:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T22:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4340"},"modified":"2026-07-12T22:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T22:38:09","slug":"lindsey-graham-knew-good-from-evil-and-stood-up-for-america-every-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4340","title":{"rendered":"Lindsey Graham knew good from evil \u2014 and stood up for America every time"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u00a0\u201cYou dumb sonofabitch. You have a perfectly good job and now this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This was the tongue-in-cheek, kind and supportive call I received from Sen. Lindsey Graham when I agreed to be nominated to become America\u2019s 70th Secretary of State.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, breaks silence on mystery ailment after hospital stay, questions about health<\/a><\/p>\n

That greeting was classic Lindsey \u2014 funny and warm, encouraging and humble. He then turned to serious business, adding: \u201cYou\u2019ll be great and I\u2019ll be with you every step of the way. We have a lot of work to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And he was<\/em> with me. Even when we had different judgments, he always helped me navigate tough problems, whether abroad or in Washington. I later learned that Sen. Graham had been among those who suggested to President Trump that he choose me as secretary of state back in 2018. I will be forever grateful for his advocacy for me and for his essential assistance in the successes we had in that first term.<\/p>\n

I first met Sen. Graham when he and Sen. John McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman were kind enough to include me \u2014 a junior backbench congressman from Kansas \u2014 on their trip to the Munich Security Conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We spent hours in conversation about American leadership and security. Lindsey shared his experiences freely and welcomed challenges to his ideas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He worked \u2014 tirelessly \u2014 for South Carolina and for the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was a true patriot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And he was fierce.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I think of service to a cause, it is difficult to imagine a better model than Sen. Graham. The chance to watch him up close has benefited me greatly.<\/p>\n

He understood that America\u2019s security depends on massive strength and reasoned judgments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the aftermath of the mass murder on Sep. 11, 2001, he was clear-eyed about the need to build a counterterrorism architecture to protect us from radical Islam, and was instrumental in forging the terror prevention measures that have protected us for almost 25 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When our government failed to protect American lives \u2014 whether in Benghazi in Libya or at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan \u2014 he was relentless in his efforts to hold government officials accountable. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Sen. Lindsey Graham\u2019s preliminary cause of death revealed after GOP leader, 71, found in DC home<\/a><\/p>\n

When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022, there was no equivocation from Sen. Graham.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even when challenged by his own party, Lindsey knew good from evil and stood with the Ukrainian people \u2014 right up to the very eve of his passing, when he returned from yet another trip there.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because he knew in his bones that defeating Putin mattered not only to the Ukrainian people, but to every American. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Middle East, he fought tirelessly to preserve America\u2019s interests, to maintain our relationship with Israel, and to build on the Abraham Accords to bring the rights-respecting nations of the region closer together.<\/p>\n

And while Sen. Graham spent a good part of his time and energy on strengthening America\u2019s national security, he was a real force for good in defending the full range of American freedoms here at home as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shepherding constitutional nominees through the Senate; defending the rights of lawful gun owners because he saw what disarmed populations can suffer around the world; and advocating tirelessly for the right of every American to speak freely and practice their faith unimpeded by the government \u2014 these were very much on his heart and the focus of his work. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

He worked with all comers on these causes, Democrats and Republicans alike, if it advanced the nation\u2019s most fundamental truths. And this wasn\u2019t just rhetoric: He delivered on each of his commitments to our country\u2019s well-being.<\/p>\n

With the passing of Sen. Graham, his family has lost someone who loved them deeply. The Senate has lost a believer in that body\u2019s essential role in preserving democracy. Our nation has lost a great patriot and warrior. And I have lost a friend and mentor whose kindness to me was immeasurable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | Extremely rare cancer striking kids in rich SoCal city takes worrying turn \u2014 as possible cause emerges<\/a><\/p>\n

May the Lord bless him and the nation that he loved so much.<\/p>\n

Mike Pompeo was US secretary of state from 2018 to 2021.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham, our nation has lost a great patriot and warrior. 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