There are endless conspiracy theories about Lindsey Graham’s death

It just took Hours after the South Carolina senator Lindsey GrahamL.’s death was announced Conspiracy theories To spread. Extremists, right-wing influencers and political commentators have spent the weekend baselessly claiming that Russia, Israel or Iran assassinated the 71-year-old.

Graham died on Saturday evening at his Capitol Hill residence just hours after returning from Ukraine, where he announced an agreement to impose sanctions on those who buy Russian oil. A preliminary report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Washington, D.C., Graham said Most likely suffered Rupture of the aorta, associated with hardening of its arteries.

“The death certificate will remain pending until all toxicological and microscopic tests are completed, at which point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” the statement said.

CNN, citing multiple law enforcement officials, I mentioned That there was no doubt of foul play in Graham’s death.

But by Sunday morning, while many of Graham’s colleagues praised the senator, conspiracy theorists were already claiming his death was the result of an assassination attempt orchestrated by one of the governments the senator spent decades fighting against.

Serial conspiracy theories and Laura Loomer, Trump’s close friend He was one of the first to suggest that Graham’s death had more causes than natural causes. She linked the killing to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, noting that during the funeral of the murdered Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran last week, attendees raised posters calling for the assassination of a number of Americans, including her and President Donald Trump. Graham.

“Was he poisoned by a foreign adversary either abroad or upon his return to the United States?” Loom Written on X In a post that has been viewed 1.8 million times, without providing any evidence. “There must be an investigation into his death. Especially after Iran announced his death less than a week ago.”

Loomer claimed her theory was confirmed when Explosive Media, a pro-Iran group Trolling in the US with AI-generated Lego videosshared a video that appears to suggest that Iran is responsible for Graham’s death. The video, which has been deleted from X but is still active on platforms like Instagram, included a scene where the character places a tick next to Lindsey’s name, with Laura’s name written underneath.

Loomer also pointed to a statement by FBI Director Kash Patel, who wrote on Channel X on Sunday that his agency is “assisting local authorities and providing all necessary resources.” This in itself, for many conspiracy theorists, was evidence of a cover-up.

In response to Patel’s post, Tony Seruga, who claims to be a former CIA contractor, said: He said FBI “Not being released for natural reasons.” in A widely shared postHe wrote that the medical examiner’s “aortic dissection” interpretation was a “perfect cover diagnosis” because it was “mechanically indistinguishable from some chemical attack.” He did not provide evidence to support his claim.

Others blamed Russia for the attack, given Graham’s support for Ukraine and his outspoken criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Putin has poisoned and assassinated many of his opponents, and Graham was in Kiev where there were certainly FSB agents operating,” the political commentator says. Marc Thiessen wrote on X. “There should be a full autopsy and toxicology screening to rule out any foul play.”

Bill Browder, a British financier who has been targeted by Russia for years, has also promoted the idea that Russia may be behind Graham’s death. “All tests should be performed immediately to rule out anything wrong,” Browder said. Written on X. “I’ve seen enough suspicious Russian-related deaths to know that this is the only course of action.” 1.5 million people viewed Browder’s post.