President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared that the FBI would be “wasting their time” if it pursued an investigation into the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham, casting doubt on the necessity of the bureau’s involvement. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he saw “no evil” in the circumstances surrounding the 71-year-old South Carolina Republican’s passing and dismissed online speculation that foreign actors might have been involved. The president’s remarks came a day after FBI agents were observed at Graham’s Capitol Hill residence, and after FBI Director Kash Patel had announced the agency was “assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available.”

The District of Columbia’s chief medical examiner has released preliminary findings attributing Graham’s death to an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a tear in the body’s main artery linked to hardened arteries. Trump, who said he had been briefed by White House physicians, described the condition as “almost undetectable” and noted that Graham’s father had died of a heart attack at a similar age. However, the president’s assertion that the rupture was “not related to any blockage” diverged from the medical examiner’s initial report, which explicitly connected the dissection to atherosclerosis. On Capitol Hill, some lawmakers, including Senator John Cornyn, called for the release of toxicology results to “rule out any suspicion of crime” and quell unfounded theories.

The FBI’s visible presence at Graham’s home, which law enforcement sources told NBC News was a precautionary measure, had fed a wave of conspiracy theories among some of Trump’s supporters, who pointed to the senator’s recent trip to Ukraine and his advocacy for tougher sanctions on Russia and Iran. Trump’s intervention is likely to reduce the bureau’s public-facing role, though the medical examiner’s office has indicated that a final determination of cause and manner of death awaits toxicological and microscopic testing. The president’s dismissal of the probe also underscores the political sensitivity of the death of a close ally who had become a key legislative partner.

Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, was sworn in on Tuesday to serve the remainder of his term, which runs until January 2027, following her appointment by South Carolina’s governor. A special primary election is expected next month to select a Republican candidate for the November midterms, when Graham had been seeking re-election. The final autopsy report, including toxicology, is pending, and its release is likely to either confirm the preliminary findings or provide further clarity on the circumstances that led to the senator’s death.