‘How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You?!’ Lindsey Graham Snaps at NBC’s Kristen Welker Asking if Trump Has ‘A Plan’ On Iran
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Angered by NBC’s questions Kristen Welker About the President Donald Trump’s The “plan” for Iran, or the lack thereof.
We’re kicking off a tense back-and-forth on NBC Meet the Press On Sunday, Welker asked the South Carolina Senator: “Is the United States at war with Iran?”
Graham said Iran was “close to collapse,” though he wasn’t quite ready to take a victory lap.
“I think the Ayatollah will say yes,” Graham said. “I don’t know if this is technically a war, but for me the headline on Sunday is: The mother ship of terrorism is sinking, its captain is dead. Iran, the biggest state sponsor of terrorism, is about to collapse.”
Welker then raised the question of who would replace Iran’s supreme leader. Ali Khamenei – The person killed in Saturday’s attack.
“Will the United States choose the next leader of Iran or will the Iranian people choose the next leader?”
“No,” said Graham. “There will be no American boots on the field. This is not Iraq, this is not Germany, this is not Japan. We will save the people from the terrorist regime. And the goal is not only to help the Iranian people chart a new destiny, to make sure that whoever takes over in Iran, whoever the people choose, cannot become the biggest state sponsor of terrorism. They cannot fuel Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas. They cannot. They have ballistic missiles, they cannot have nuclear weapons, they will stay out of the terrorist business, so The people will choose.”
Welker pressed for details.
“Senator, history shows us how complex regime change is,” Welker said. “We saw this when Saddam Hussein was overthrown and the terrorist threat and group came into play. How will the United States make sure the next Iranian government is not worse than the current regime?”
“It’s not our job to choose the next Iranian government,” Graham said. “I don’t remember being attacked by Iraq in any way in the past. Iraq is complicated, but you know we have a relationship with Iraq. It’s up to Iran to choose your leader. That’s not my job, it’s not President Trump’s job. We won’t invade the country. We’ll give the Iranian people the chance to do something they’ve never had before: carve out their own destiny.”
A Meet the Press moderator referenced Trump’s comments on Saturday: In a post on Truth Social“I hope the Revolutionary Guard and police will unite peacefully with Iranian patriots and work together as a unit to bring the country back to the greatness it deserves.”
“Is the plan for the future of Iran hope?” Welker asked.
“No,” said Graham. “The future of Iran will be determined by the Iranian people. Whatever the new Iran is, whether it is clerical or representative democracy, our goal is to make sure that it cannot again become the biggest state sponsor of terrorism. This is a win for us. This is a win for the region.”
“But is there a plan to make this happen, Senator?” said Welker. “Is there a plan? Does the president have a plan to make sure this happens?”
“No, it’s not his or my job to do that!” Graham said he had a short falling out with Welker. “How many times do I have to tell you?! Our job is to make sure Iran is no longer the biggest state sponsor of terrorism, to help the people form a new government, without putting a foot down. You know that idea, ‘if you break it, you own it?’ I don’t believe this one bit.
Watch above via NBC.
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