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Lindsey Graham Explains Why Ivanka And Jared Were Invited To McCain Funeral

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Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday gave some insight into why Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were invited to the late Senator John McCain’s funeral Saturday.

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In a lengthy, wide-ranging interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Graham responded with a strong denial to fill-in host Dana Bash’s question about whether he had anything to do with the couple’s presence at the funeral.

“Nobody was at that funeral that did not get invited by the family,” Graham said, adding that Ivanka’s “very nice” words about the late senator did not go “unnoticed by the family.” (RELATED: Trump Critics Use John McCain’s Funeral To Criticize The President — Here’s What They Said)

“Earlier in the week, I met with Ivanka about her trip we’re planning in Africa,” said the South Carolina senator, who was one of McCain’s best friends. “Ivanka said some very nice things about Sen. McCain after his passing. It was not unnoticed by the family.”

Graham added that he would like to see McCain’s wife, Cindy, work with Ivanka Trump on issues they both have in common.

“I’m hoping that Cindy, who has done terrific work for human trafficking of women and all things related to that issue, can work with Ivanka and others because that’s her life’s work and maybe these two can work together to help women who are in desperate straits,” he said. “I think both of them would like to do that and I’d like to help them to the extent I could.”

Former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman told Bash that he spoke to Ivanka and Jared after the funeral and they had “no complaints” as to how it was handled.

“I thanked them, as John’s friend,” Lieberman said. “It meant a lot. At the end, I spoke to them too and there were no complaints. They felt that the whole service was a great tribute to him.”

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