“You dumb sonofabitch. You have a perfectly good job and now this?” 

This was the tongue-in-cheek, kind and supportive call I received from Sen. Lindsey Graham when I agreed to be nominated to become America’s 70th Secretary of State. 

That greeting was classic Lindsey — funny and warm, encouraging and humble. He then turned to serious business, adding: “You’ll be great and I’ll be with you every step of the way. We have a lot of work to do.” 

And he was with me. Even when we had different judgments, he always helped me navigate tough problems, whether abroad or in Washington. I later learned that Sen. Graham had been among those who suggested to President Trump that he choose me as secretary of state back in 2018. I will be forever grateful for his advocacy for me and for his essential assistance in the successes we had in that first term.

I first met Sen. Graham when he and Sen. John McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman were kind enough to include me — a junior backbench congressman from Kansas — on their trip to the Munich Security Conference. 

We spent hours in conversation about American leadership and security. Lindsey shared his experiences freely and welcomed challenges to his ideas. 

He worked — tirelessly — for South Carolina and for the United States. 

He was a true patriot. 

And he was fierce. 

When I think of service to a cause, it is difficult to imagine a better model than Sen. Graham. The chance to watch him up close has benefited me greatly.

He understood that America’s security depends on massive strength and reasoned judgments. 

In the aftermath of the mass murder on Sep. 11, 2001, he was clear-eyed about the need to build a counterterrorism architecture to protect us from radical Islam, and was instrumental in forging the terror prevention measures that have protected us for almost 25 years. 

When our government failed to protect American lives — whether in Benghazi in Libya or at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan — he was relentless in his efforts to hold government officials accountable.  

When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022, there was no equivocation from Sen. Graham. 

Even when challenged by his own party, Lindsey knew good from evil and stood with the Ukrainian people — right up to the very eve of his passing, when he returned from yet another trip there.

That’s because he knew in his bones that defeating Putin mattered not only to the Ukrainian people, but to every American.  

In the Middle East, he fought tirelessly to preserve America’s interests, to maintain our relationship with Israel, and to build on the Abraham Accords to bring the rights-respecting nations of the region closer together.

And while Sen. Graham spent a good part of his time and energy on strengthening America’s national security, he was a real force for good in defending the full range of American freedoms here at home as well. 

Shepherding constitutional nominees through the Senate; defending the rights of lawful gun owners because he saw what disarmed populations can suffer around the world; and advocating tirelessly for the right of every American to speak freely and practice their faith unimpeded by the government — these were very much on his heart and the focus of his work.  

He worked with all comers on these causes, Democrats and Republicans alike, if it advanced the nation’s most fundamental truths. And this wasn’t just rhetoric: He delivered on each of his commitments to our country’s well-being.

With the passing of Sen. Graham, his family has lost someone who loved them deeply. The Senate has lost a believer in that body’s essential role in preserving democracy. Our nation has lost a great patriot and warrior. And I have lost a friend and mentor whose kindness to me was immeasurable. 

May the Lord bless him and the nation that he loved so much.

Mike Pompeo was US secretary of state from 2018 to 2021.