Fox News’s Sean Hannity used part of his eulogy for Sen. Lindsey Graham to spotlight the foreign policy hawk’s dream for lasting peace in the Middle East, something Hannity said was a frequent topic between the two.
Hannity delivered remarks during Graham’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon, taking the stage after President Donald Trump. Current and former members of Congress gathered in the Capitol rotunda earlier in the day for a memorial for Graham.
In discussing Graham’s approach to foreign policy, Hannity said the late Republican senator from South Carolina was often characterized as a “warmonger” but asserted that was a “false criticism.”
“Lindsey desperately wanted and talked to the president about a lasting peace in the Middle East,” Hannity said. “He wanted every region, every country in the region, on that path to peace. That was Lindsey’s dream.”
Hannity, a close friend of Graham who often invited him on his show, said Graham’s strongest attribute was his “moral clarity” and that he used that feature to champion the war with Iran.
“He understood right from wrong, good from evil, and he knew, as President Trump knows, as Israel knows, as I know, there can be no path to peace until evil is defeated,” Hannity said. “Evil, in this case, embodied in a death cult, an ideology, the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in attendance, which Hannity noted Graham would have considered a “great honor.” During his time in Congress, Graham was a staunch defender of Israel and frequently faced criticism for his stance.
“He loved you,” Hannity said of Graham to Netanyahu. “He loved the state of Israel. He loved the people of Israel. Under your leadership, Israel has been one of America’s most consistent and loyal allies. He was never shy to say it to the day he passed.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also attended Graham’s funeral service, as Graham was also a champion of Ukraine amid its war with Russia. One day before his death, Graham visited Ukraine for his 10th wartime trip there.
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“I know that Lindsey would have been deeply moved and honored that you made this long journey to be here today,” Hannity said, noting Zelensky and Graham met in Kyiv before his death. “In our private conversations, he often marveled at your strength against the world, one of the world’s most brutal regimes. He saw you, and he said it to me once, as a warrior poet or warrior comedian, to use those terms, and on paper, I think everybody would agree.”
Graham’s niece, the Rev. Franklin Graham, and the pastor of his church in South Carolina, the Rev. Tim Tate, also delivered remarks remembering the congressman.