After word of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s untimely death spread, reaction from both aisles of Congress poured in. Doug Friednash, the chief of staff to former Gov. John Hickenlooper and the city attorney under former Denver mayor Michael Hancock, has been intimately familiar with Graham’s impact on foreign relations, and specifically, his longtime support for Israel.
“This is a massive loss to have that leadership, especially in this challenging moment for American Jews and the State of Israel,” said Friednash. He has been a Democratic member of the Colorado House of Representatives and assistant attorney general.
“He was somebody who never wavered in his support for Israel, and never wavered in his support for foreign policy initiatives involving Israel,” said Friednash, now a department chair at Bronstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
“I met him years ago with John McCain at one of Larry Mizel’s CELL events. Those two were such dear friends and really cared so much about Israel and about the Jewish people.
“This is such a loss that comes at a tough time.”
Friednash noted Graham’s desire, many times, to reach across political sides.
“Whether people agreed with Lindsey or not, they had deep respect for him,” Friednash said. “I didn’t agree with him on a lot of issues, but always appreciated his point of view.
“I think he was a very nice man and somebody who had values that he stood up for, who also tried to work across party lines to find consensus, which we see less and less.
“I don’t think he got credit for that, as much as he tried to do those things.”
Prior to his death, Graham just returned from his 10th trip to Ukraine.
“He was so outspoken for Israel and Ukraine, and these are people you can’t replace.
“His words and actions aligned, and in Washington there are a lot of people who are a lot of words, but they don’t take action. Graham is one of those folks who did both.
“He was fiercely loyal and never backed down from the things he believed in.”
© IJN 2026
