> Welcome to a "This Week In South Carolina" special report, I'm Gavin Jackson in Washington.

Senator Lindsey Graham died on July 11th at the age of 71.

The senior senator was a powerhouse in state, federal, and international politics.

Having the ability to deliver for the people of South Carolina, mayors, governors, presidents and international world leaders advancing his agenda to advance the state of South Carolina as well as protecting the country.

The four-term senator, who was seeking a fifth term this November, briefly laid in state here in the Capitol Rotunda before a service at the National Cathedral.

The late senator was then returned home to South Carolina for similar honors at the State House and First Baptist Church in Columbia, before being laid to rest in Pickens.

But before we look at those services from this week, we look back at Senator Graham's 30-plus years in public life.

Senator Graham> Well, it is like Jim says, I think we've all had things that about us in politics and that's just part of the game.

And it does need to stop.

But apparently there's gonna be some looking into what happened.

There ought to be some looking into what happened.

Can Starr to do his job?

And if he's doing it for political reasons, he ought to be fired.

And if he's used some illegal investigative techniques, I wanna know about that, as much as I wanna know about what the truth is with Miss Lewinsky and whether the president encouraged her to lie.

We're going to get there.

We will eventually get to where we can make a determination.

Then we'll take appropriate action.

If the president lied under oath and lied to the American public, he's history.

If he's been unfairly accused then we ought all apologize to him and go on about our business.

The only way to get anything big done in Washington, is do it together.

One party's not going to fix health care.

I would urge President Trump to reach out to Democrats to replace Obamacare.

Don't do it alone as Republicans.

I'm really pleased with the tone he's set in terms of being able to adjust his policies.

So the people of South Carolina, things like the Port of Charleston, can only be done if you have a delegation that can get along with people.

And that's what I learned from Senator Thurmond and Hollings.

Helping somebody else is the best way to help South Carolina.

I can say something nobody in America can say.

I was Fritz Hollings junior senator.

[laughter] And, when I first got into the Senate, I said, "Fritz, how do you know if you're doing well?"

He says, "Well, you're doing well when you make a lot of people mad."

Fritz, I'm doing great.

[laughter] Sky's the limit for me.

Simply put, radical Islam is running wild.

They have more safe havens, more money, more capability, and more weapons to strike our homeland than any time since 9/11.

They are large They are rich.

They're entrenched.

As president, I will make them small, poor, and on the run.

[cheers and applause] I'm afraid some Americans have grown tired of fighting them.

I have some bad news to share with you, the radical Islamist are not tired of fighting you.

In partnership with others, we must take the fight to them.

Building lines of defenses over there, so they can't come here.

What you want to do is destroy this guy's life.

Hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020.

You've said that, not me.

You've got nothing to apologize for.

When you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said, "hello," because I voted for them.

I would never do to them what you've done to this guy.

This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics.

And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn't have done what you've done to this guy.

My opponent folks cheered on the destruction of Kavanaugh.

He said the main reason he's running against me is because of the way I behaved in Kavanaugh.

The main reason I'm gonna win is because of the way I behaved in Kavanaugh.

[cheers and applause] > Like Muhammad Ali said, a little boy asked him one time, said, "Champ, didn't you get knocked down one time by George Foreman?"

He said, "Son, I ain't never down.

I'm either up or getting up."

Well, that's the way we are.

We are up and we getting up higher.

[applause] But in order to do that, we have to have people like Lindsey Graham in the Senate.

Now, this seniority and the influence doesn't just come automatically.

It ain't based on good looks or anything.

[laughter] People respect Lindsey cause they know that he was a lawyer.

He was a prosecutor, 33 years in the military in the Air Force, Colonel.

Then in the House of Representatives, in Congress, and now in the Senate.

When he talks, people know that he knows what he's talking about.

And his life story is one, is just phenomenal.

It's a true American story.

> So today, in addition to challenging the certification of the election, I'm calling on Congress and the state legislatures to quickly pass sweeping election reforms.

And you better do it before we have no country left.

Today is not the end, it's just the beginning Graham> I've become close to the president personally.

I think his president has been consequential from a conservative point of view.

It has been an amazing four years in terms of judges securing the border, a vaccine in record time, deregulating the economy, cutting taxes, historic Mideast peace agreements, the destruction of the caliphate on and on and on, was tarnished by yesterday.

When it comes to accountability, the president needs to understand that his actions were the problem, not the solution.

Thank you.

Well, he did it once.

He can do it again.

Isn't that why we're here?

So, Mr.

President, I started my political career right there, and I got my first paycheck, and I said, "I got to get out of here."

To the statehouse people, you're not doing it for the money.

There's one thing I want to talk to you about.

How many times have you heard, "We like Trump policies, but we want somebody new."

There are no Trump policies without Donald Trump.

[applause] I was there.

You know why 400 billion dollars was given by NATO nations?

Because he asked, and they were afraid to say no.

Every president since I've been up there has asked NATO to give more money, but they gave more money when he asked.

People talk about China, you did something about China.

They finally paid.

Everybody's been talking about China.

You made them pay.

You know why Mexico said yes to you?

Because you scared the hell out of them by taking on China.

[cheers and applause] You know why the Abraham Accords came about?

It's because you convinced the Arabs and the Israelis you were strong and you're reliable.

You killed the terrorist that needed to be killed.

You convinced the Arabs to work with the Israelis.

And the world is a better place.

We live in a dangerous world right now.

The good news for the Republican Party, there are many, many talented people for years to come.

But there is only one Donald Trump.

[applause] And I say this sincerely, you can talk about his policies, but you could not do what he did.

[boos] Thank you all very much.

[boos continue] Welcome to Pickens County.

A little bit about this county.

Just calm down for a second.

I think you'll like this.

Pickens County has more Medal of Honor winners per capita than any place in the nation.

[boos and cheers] I was born in this county.

I live 15 miles down the road.

[boos] This is a place where people pay the taxes, fight the wars and tell you what they believe.

[boos and cheers] How many of you believe that Donald Trump was a great president?

[cheers and applause] So let me tell you a little bit about me and President Trump.

What happened?

I found common ground with President Trump.

It took a while to get there, folks.

But let me tell you what happened.

I come to like President Trump, and he likes himself and we got that in common.

[boos] And I'm gonna help him become president of the United States.

Let me tell you why I want to help President Trump.

I was on the front row of his presidency, and I've never seen anybody this tough for America.

> And again, Senator Lindsey Graham, who is really I'm going to have to work... [loud boos] I'm gonna have to work on these people.

I'm gonna have to.

All right.

[boos continue] He's there when you need him.

I'm gonna get him straightened up.

Do you mind if I come here and campaign a little bit for you?

I'll tell you what, he was one of my earliest endorsements right from the go, and I appreciate it very much.

I appreciate it, Lindsey.

Road, water, and sewer are a very big part of this job for me.

You may see me on Sunday TV.

You may see me in Ukraine.

You may see me in Israel.

But I am very intent, on making sure that our state, which is growing unlike almost any other state, that we're getting ahead of the game when it goes to road, water, and sewer.

You know, they're developing the river down here in Columbia.

That's gonna be an amazing... the Vista's gonna be an amazing experience.

I see my job as being a partner with state and local government to direct the money that's coming out of Washington to get the highest and best use here.

This bill you're talking about is gonna be a real opportunity for me to work with state and local officials to get money into projects that probably wouldn't make it otherwise.

This war will never end with Hamas in charge of Gaza, politically or militarily.

Their days are numbered.

And the next question for the world, is what do we do about the Iran nuclear program?

That's where we're going to move to next.

There's diplomacy.

There's a one-in-trillion chance you'll degrade the Iranian nuclear program through, diplomacy.

There's a 90 percent chance you'll degrade it through military action by Israel, supported by the United States.

So the next topic I will be engaging in with President Trump is to take this moment in time to decimate the Iran nuclear program, because they're- Margaret Brennan> What does that mean?

Graham> Help Israel deliver a knockout blow.

Brennan> What does that mean?

You're gonna urge him to have Israel bomb Iran's facilities that are underground and would require U.S.

military support to actually be effective?

Graham> I'm gonna urge the decimation of the Iranian nuclear program.

I don't think diplomacy works.

Bret will tell you what they have done to Hezbollah and Hamas has been amazing.

The proxy's incredibly weakened.

Israel can go anywhere they want to go.

This is a religious Nazi regime.

They want to destroy the Jewish state.

They want to purify Islam and drive us out of the Mideast.

It would be like negotiating with Hitler.

I am hoping there will be an effort by Israel to decimate the Iran nuclear program, supported by the United States, and if we don't do that, it will be a historical mistake.

Brennan> Lindsey Graham, I have a lot to get to you on the domestic front, but that is quite a marker to lay down.

Journalist> Senator, where do you see Iran, the war in Iran going?

What's the endgame here?

Graham> Well, I think the endgame is at hand.

The endgame is to make sure they can't have a nuclear weapon.

I think that mission has been accomplished.

Their enrichment facilities have been obliterated.

They've been set back in their nuclear ambitions.

Their ability to push terrorism throughout the region has been crippled.

Their economy is weak.

Their military is weak.

Their navy has been sunk.

They're the weakest they've been since 1979.

If you can end this diplomatically, where you do a deal, they can never get a nuclear weapon.

They stop spreading terrorism.

I'm all for a peaceful solution.

Let's say Iran tells us to take a hike.

Here's the good news.

I think military operations would be very intense and very short.

There's not a lot left to do.

There's some things we could do that would hurt them even more, if they say no.

We're talking about short, bold, and intense.

Kharg Island, is the island where all their oil and gas infrastructure resides.

That's their Achilles heel.

That's a trump card, no pun intended.

My goal is to put them in a box, withdraw, get gas prices coming up, open up the straits, let Saudi Arabia and Israel go back to making peace.

You'll never have peace in the Mideast until Iran is put in a box.

I think they're the weakest they've been since 1979.

We'll find a way to open up the straits.

Hope we can have a diplomatic solution.

But why did we do this?

They were two weeks away from having enough highly enriched uranium to make 8 to 10 bombs.

I was able to that help get the bill through the Senate, because I know how the Senate works.

When there's a problem at home, I think I'm in good position to fix it when we have a problem at the Port of Charleston, I can work with Democrats to help us.

I've tried to reach across the aisle to solve problems.

Kavanaugh... I think I had a big impact on getting us a conservative Supreme Court.

I think I'm better at my job today than I've ever been.

I feel fine, but they'll come a day when my time is up.

And, I'll tell you right now, as far as I'm concerned, I'm more able to do my job, I'm better at it than any time since I've been in the job, because I've worked hard to learn what works and what doesn't.

And I like it.

I like it more today.

I like being able to shape the future of our state in our country.

And if people will honor me with six more years, I'll make sure I don't let them down.

> A small service in the Capitol Rotunda honored Senator Graham's service to his state and country, including his time in the U.S.

House from 1994 to 2002, as well as when he became a senator, first being elected in 2002 to replace retiring Senator Strom Thurmond.

Senator Thune> It's difficult to believe that we're here today to say a final farewell to Lindsey as he leaves the Capitol for the last time.

My heart is heavy.

I feel his absence every day, and I know so many of my colleagues do as well.

Senators on both sides of the aisle counted him as a friend.

Republicans and Democrats alike, including the Democrat leader, are here to say farewell.

Lindsey was a towering figure here in the Senate and on the international stage.

His leadership on national security and our national defense is well known.

I traveled with Lindsey all over the world as part of congressional delegations, and I saw firsthand just how much he was respected by our allies.

And just how well he was able to connect with foreign leaders around the globe.

> So I choose to remember Lindsey Graham as a man who could disagree with you without being disagreeable.

I choose to remember Lindsey Graham as a person who could fight with you on one issue, but fight for you on another issue.

I remember Lindsey Graham as a man who loved people, and because he loved people, he was willing to reason with them, to respect them, and ultimately to persuade them.

May God comfort all of those who loved Lindsey Graham, particularly his beautiful family.

And may God rest the soul of Senator Lindsey Graham, a true American original.

Gavin> The celebration of Graham's life continued Tuesday afternoon at the Washington National Cathedral, where the president, vice president, members of the cabinet, Congress, military, world leaders, family, and friends gathered to pay their respects.

> Today, we gather in the deepest gratitude and profoundest sorrow to honor a beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon and that can only be the one and only Lindsey Graham.

By the strength of his steadfast convictions, the force of his magnetic personality, and the goodness of his noble soul, Lindsey rose from a small town in rural South Carolina, a place he loved so much, to become a constant fixture of American politics at the highest level, and a force to be reckoned with all over the world.

For more than 30 years, nothing of consequence happened in this Capitol without Lindsey Graham knowing about it.

Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it.

And no bill became law in the most exceptional republic in human history without Lindsey Graham having a say in it.

He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart.

Until that heart itself just gave out.

But even though Lindsey's life was cut short, while he was still so full of vim and vigor, there can be no doubt that he lived absolutely to the fullest.

He died doing the work he was born to do.

He was truly a great politician serving the country he loved to serve so deeply.

He went out at the peak of his career, at the top of his game as a legend that everyone of us, many of us here today, blessed to know him and a friend that none of us will ever forget.

There was truly nobody like Lindsey Graham.

> His world revolved around my mother, his family, and those he considered such, like his life long friends, colleagues, staff, and the citizens of South Carolina.

Lindsey was a very busy man.

There is no question about that.

However, when my mom called, he answered.

It didn't matter if he was about to walk into a meeting with the president or another world leader, he would ask, "Is everything okay?"

She would say "yes," and he would ask, "Is everybody okay?"

That was Lindsey.

Always worried about others.

That is why he dedicated his life to being a civil servant.

[drums banging] [drums banging] [horns playing] [horns playing] Gavin> On Wednesday, South Carolina said goodbye to Senator Graham, starting at the statehouse with a flyover in honor of his 33 years in the Air Force, Air Force National Guard, and then Air Force Reserves.

[jet engines roaring] [jet engines roaring] The flag draped casket carrying his remains was then transported by a horse-drawn caisson down Main Street to First Baptist Church for his final service.

Governor Henry McMaster, Senator Tim Scott, and former Congressman Trey Gowdy spoke.

> I once said of somebody he said, "The boy's either going somewhere, getting back, or going again."

[laughter] And that's Lindsey.

We may ask ourselves at times like this, "Where will I be when I get where I'm going?"

We never knew.

We never knew how any particular event might influence the next event, and the next, and the next.

You remember comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin hilariously joked on their TV show "Laugh-In" about the fickle finger of fate.

Lindsey felt that finger of fate.

As the first in his family to attend college, soon to lose his mother at 20 years old then his father 15 years later, with his little sister Darlene at 13 becoming his responsibility.

Lindsey Graham would have been the last person on Earth to imagine that he would graduate from law school, be elected to the United States Senate, travel the world in service of his great country, earn the respect and confidence of world leaders, and become the ally, friend, and even golfing partner of the president of the United States.

But he did it all, and he did it with his sense of humor, humility, and integrity intact the whole time.

> You know, our friendship began the way all really beautiful, powerful friendships began.

He endorsed my opponent when I ran for Congress the first time.

[laughter] I'm not kidding, I wish I was.

You know, a lot of politicians, they joke, they say, "I'll do whatever helps you more.

I'll endorse you, or I'll endorse your opponent."

Lindsey wasn't joking.

He endorsed my opponent.

After we narrowly eked out a victory, and my wife was pickin' the confetti out of my pomade on election night.

The very first phone call I got was from Lindsey Graham.

He said, "I will be the best friend that you have in Washington, D.C."

And I'll be doggone, then Congressman Scott, if he was not.

He helped us with committee assignments.

He helped us navigate the waters of Washington.

He never looked at us and saw a competitor, he looked at us and saw a fellow South Carolinian that needed some help.

The things that that man did for me, that no one else could have done.

He introduced me to a guy named Bono, he pronounced it "Bo-no."

[laughter] He couldn't tell you a single song U2 had ever recorded or written, but he knew that I was a fan of U2, and I wanted to meet Bono.

Five different times I got to be in the room with a guy named Paul Hewson, also known as Bono, because Lindsey Graham thought enough to think about a lowly House member and invite him over to the Senate.

And you know what they were talking about?

It certainly wasn't about music, and it wasn't about the ear rings that Bono had.

They were talking about children in Africa who needed drugs, they needed medicine, and they needed food.

Sometimes in this world, that we find ourselves in, 99 is a failing grade.

Not with Lindsey Graham.

If he could find one thing that he agreed with you on, that's what he put his energies in.

And with Bono, it was children in Africa.

And I got to tell you this.

And my colleagues will back me up.

How many different times did that man say, "Look, this is a tough vote.

I'm gonna vote yes.

But y'all ought to vote no.

It's better for your political career.

I'm taking some risk and I'm gonna get some flak.

But you need to do what is best for you.

And I am gonna do what is best for my beloved state of South Carolina."

And he cast some really tough votes.

I never met a less pretentious person in my life than Lindsey Graham.

It wasn't the trappings of office that he cared about, it was the work.

And there is some bitter symmetry to the fact that it was work that he lived for, Darlene, but I am convinced that it is work that took him from us.

Gavin> Graham's casket was then transported back to Pickens County, where he was buried during a private family service.

For South Carolina ETV, I'm Gavin Jackson.

Be well, South Carolina.