Lindsey Graham insists that he SUPPORTS his call for Putin’s assassination and adds that “if John McCain were here, he would be saying the same thing.”
- Senator Lindsey Graham has reiterated his call for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin despite being criticized by Republicans and Democrats for it.
- Yes, I hope it gets removed one way or another. I don’t care how they take him out,” he said.
- He also said that his late friend, respected Senator John McCain, who died in 2018, agreed with him.
- “If John McCain was here, I think he would be saying the same thing,” Graham said.
- Biden administration says they don’t support Putin’s assassination
- Both Democrats and Republicans opposed Graham when he initially promoted the idea in early March.
Lindsey Graham on Wednesday reiterated his call for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for pushing the radical move.
Yes, I hope it gets removed one way or another. I don’t care how they get him out. I don’t care if we send him to The Hague and judge, I just want him to leave,” Graham said of the Russian president.
And the Republican senator from South Carolina said he wants the Russian people to do it.
“Vladimir Putin is not a legitimate leader, he is a war criminal. The Russian people must deal with him,” he said.
He also said that his late friend, respected Senator John McCain, who died in 2018, agreed with him.
“If John McCain were here, I think he would say the same thing,” Graham said. – It’s time for him to go. He is a war criminal. I would like someone to put Hitler in [1930s].’
Senator Lindsey Graham reiterated his call for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Senator Graham originally proposed in early March to nominate Russian President Vladimir Putin and was criticized by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Graham’s speech came after his fellow lawmakers listened together to Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress. In his speech, the Ukrainian president painted a picture of the devastation caused by Russian forces in his country and urged America to send more aid, especially in the form of military hardware.
The senator was promoting his resolution, which would encourage President Joe Biden to hand over Polish MiGs to Ukraine. The Biden administration ruled out such a move, saying it could escalate relations with Russia and lead to World War II.
Earlier this month, Graham floated the idea of overthrowing the Russian president, drawing the ire of Republicans and Democrats alike.
“The only way this can end is for someone in Russia to take this guy out. You will be doing your country and the world a great service,” Graham said in early March.
Then White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden and his administration would not support this.
“This is not the position of the United States government and certainly not the kind of statement you will hear from anyone in this administration,” she said.
And lawmakers on opposite sides of the political spectrum disagreed with Graham, including progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar and conservative Senator Ted Cruz.
“I really want our members of Congress to cool down and regulate their speech as the administration works to avoid World War II. As the world pays attention to how the US and its leaders are reacting, Lindsey’s remarks and the remarks made by some members of the House of Representatives are useless,” Omar tweeted when Graham made his initial statement.
“This is an exceptionally bad idea,” Cruz tweeted at the time. “Use massive economic sanctions; BOYCOTT Russian oil and gas; and provide military assistance so that Ukrainians can defend themselves. But we should not call for the assassination of heads of state.”
Senator Lindsey Graham also said that his late friend, respected Senator John McCain, who died in 2018, would agree with him on removing Putin – above McCain and Graham in the Senate together in 2007.
Killing during a military conflict is specifically prohibited by the Lieber Code, which President Abraham Lincoln issued as a general order to the US military in 1863.
Section IX of the code states that the laws of war prohibit the designation of a member of a hostile force, or a citizen or subject of a hostile government, as a criminal “who may be killed without trial”.