Lindsey Graham Raised 13-Year-Old Sister After Parents Died 15 Months Apart

Q: What urgent message did Lindsey Graham carry from Kyiv just two days before his sudden death?

He carried a warning and a policy push from Kyiv: that Washington had reached agreement on a tougher new sanctions package against Russia and that it should be used, alongside stronger military support for Ukraine, as leverage to help end the war. Two days before his death, Graham said a bipartisan group of senators and the White House had aligned on the “Sanctioning Russia Act,” aimed at increasing pressure not only on Moscow but also on countries helping Russia sustain its war economy, including buyers of discounted Russian oil. He described it as a measure that was “going to become law” and framed it as part of “the formula to end this war.” In Kyiv, he also stressed Ukraine’s urgent air-defense needs. His talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy included support for Patriot missile systems and steps toward licensed production or co-production of Patriot interceptors in Ukraine, as well as broader defense cooperation. Graham’s message was that Ukraine needed to be made “more lethal,” while Russia’s backers had to face “a price to be paid” if they continued supporting the war.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 13

At 22, Lindsey Graham took responsibility for his sister Darline Nordone after their mother died of cancer in 1976 and their father died of a heart attack 15 months later.
Nordone, then 13, recalled fearing life as an orphan until Graham hugged her and promised, “I’m going to take care of you” — a pledge she said he kept.
That bond remained central as Graham rose in politics: Nordone introduced his presidential campaign and publicly vouched for his integrity and care for others.
The siblings grew up behind the Sanitary Cafe in Central, South Carolina, where Nordone said she had long relied on her brother for comfort, homework help and protection.