Graham Joins Brian Kilmeade to Discuss Briefing on Venezuelan Drug Boat Strikes & Russia-Ukraine War

[00:00:00] Senator Lindsey Graham weighs in now. [00:00:01] That's Pete Hexath yesterday. Lindsey [00:00:03] Graham also talked to the press right [00:00:05] after that. He's a chairman of the [00:00:06] Senate Budget Committee, uh, member of [00:00:08] the Appropriation Judiciary Committee [00:00:10] and tremendous knowledge of military. [00:00:12] Uh, Senator, do you think that Pete Hat, [00:00:14] the Secretary of War, made the right [00:00:16] decision there? [00:00:17] >> I I like Pete a lot. I think he's done a [00:00:19] really good job. Here's what I would do. [00:00:21] I'd release it to every member of [00:00:23] Congress. Listen, we got videos all over [00:00:26] TV showing us blowing up votes. I am all [00:00:29] for blowing these boats up. This is very [00:00:32] legal. We invaded Panama in 1989 as a [00:00:36] country under Bush 41. We dropped 82nd [00:00:39] Airborne in. We took Norgo, the [00:00:42] president of Panama, out of office and [00:00:44] put him in American jail. So don't tell [00:00:47] me that Trump can't do what he's doing. [00:00:50] What I would tell Pete and others is [00:00:52] share it with everybody in the Senate [00:00:53] and the House and let you make your own [00:00:56] judgment. I'm okay with what happened. [00:00:58] >> What did you think of the video that you [00:00:59] saw yesterday? [00:01:01] >> I'm okay with what happened. [00:01:03] >> Right. So So nothing because Democrats [00:01:05] have a totally different idea. [00:01:07] >> That's fine. They got a totally [00:01:08] different idea about everything and [00:01:11] that's why we have an election, right? [00:01:13] Their idea is to withdraw from [00:01:14] Afghanistan and obliterate our border [00:01:17] and raise your taxes and impose [00:01:19] Obamacare on you. If we don't win this [00:01:21] election, we got nobody to blame but [00:01:23] ourselves. Our ideas are better than [00:01:25] theirs. Trump has secured the border in [00:01:27] a way that nobody could have believed a [00:01:29] year ago, right? Uh Trump is [00:01:33] going after ISIS wherever ISIS lives. He [00:01:36] destroyed the caliphate in his first [00:01:38] term. [00:01:39] Biden let it come back by withdrawing [00:01:41] from Afghanistan. [00:01:43] Uh he started giving money back to Iran [00:01:46] and obliterated the border. Listen, we [00:01:48] got a good story to tell. We need to [00:01:50] tell it. The economy is getting better, [00:01:52] but it's going to take a while because [00:01:54] they were just as bad with the economy [00:01:56] as they were with national security and [00:01:58] we need to talk about that more. But [00:02:00] I've got no problem blowing up the [00:02:01] boats. Admiral Bradley is not a war [00:02:04] criminal. He's a patriot. I want to take [00:02:07] Madura out. I'm tired of playing games [00:02:09] here. He's a naroterrorist [00:02:13] illegitimate leader of Venezuela. He [00:02:16] didn't win the election. He stole the [00:02:18] election. He's uh aligned with [00:02:20] Hezbollah. [00:02:22] He dumped tens of thousands of people [00:02:25] into our country to wreak havoc on us. [00:02:28] He needs to go. [00:02:29] >> All right. So, I want you to hear Tammy [00:02:31] Duckworth, also a veteran. You're in the [00:02:33] military, too. Cut six. [00:02:34] >> I worry about our uniformed services, [00:02:37] our men and women in uniform. They [00:02:40] deserve to know if they're going to go [00:02:41] to war, that it is truly a war, that [00:02:43] they have the American people behind [00:02:44] them, that Congress has voted on it. [00:02:47] He's comparing it to the Obama drone [00:02:48] strikes. Do you see that as a fair [00:02:50] comparison? [00:02:51] >> I don't see that as a as a fair [00:02:52] comparison because again, we had an AUMF [00:02:55] in Iraq and Afghanistan. We these are [00:02:58] two completely different situations. And [00:03:01] in fact, what I think we need to do [00:03:02] again is go back to the beginning of [00:03:04] this. What is it that the Trump [00:03:06] administration is trying to do here? Is [00:03:07] it regime change? If it's regime change, [00:03:09] then come to us and say, "Hey, we need [00:03:11] regime change in V in Venezuela, and [00:03:14] here's here's the evidence. Here's what [00:03:16] we think." and then Congress will [00:03:17] deliberate and then we will vote on it. [00:03:19] >> So he doesn't like she doesn't like the [00:03:20] comparison but she says if you ask [00:03:21] she'll say okay. [00:03:24] >> Well no she won't say okay. I like her a [00:03:26] lot. She sacrificed for her nation but [00:03:28] she's wrong. [00:03:30] For 33 years I used to be a military [00:03:32] lawyer as a judge, defense attorney and [00:03:34] a prosecutor. This is familiar ground [00:03:36] for me. In 1989, President Bush 41, [00:03:41] without congressional approval, took [00:03:44] Norgo out as the Panama leader, [00:03:47] literally using military force. We lost [00:03:49] troops in the Endeavor. He went to jail. [00:03:53] Nora did. Clinton changed the regime in [00:03:56] Haiti as a military dictatorship. He [00:03:59] restored civilian control. Trump went [00:04:01] into Grenada to deal with the expansion [00:04:03] of Cuban influence in our backyard. They [00:04:06] did all this without a declaration of [00:04:08] war and without approval by the [00:04:10] Congress. I used to do this for a [00:04:12] living. We've declared war five times in [00:04:15] the history of the nation. Does that [00:04:17] mean if Congress doesn't declare war, [00:04:20] the commander-in-chief cannot use [00:04:21] military force? No, it doesn't. We've [00:04:24] had use of military force without a [00:04:27] declaration of war as the norm in this [00:04:30] country. The exception is declaring war. [00:04:33] You cannot have 535 commander-in-chiefs. [00:04:37] That will lead to chaos. If you don't [00:04:39] like the decision of a [00:04:41] commander-in-chief as a member of [00:04:42] Congress, you can restrict funding for [00:04:45] the operation. You can impeach them if [00:04:47] you think they're doing something [00:04:49] illegal. So, as to Venezuela, President [00:04:53] Trump is doing what Bush and Clinton and [00:04:56] others did to regulate naroterrorism in [00:04:59] our backyard. He has all the legal [00:05:01] authority he needs. I hope Maduro is [00:05:05] taken out. Will be safer if he is. He [00:05:07] should have been taken out a long time [00:05:09] ago. Then I want to deal with a [00:05:11] communist dictatorship in Cuba. While [00:05:13] President Trump is in office for the [00:05:15] next three years, I hope we will clear [00:05:18] out the naroterrorist states in our [00:05:20] backyard. That it will be harder to get [00:05:22] drugs into America because those making [00:05:24] money off of it uh in these nations no [00:05:28] longer exist. I hope that we can deal [00:05:30] with Hamas and Hezbollah while President [00:05:32] Trump is in office so Iran doesn't have [00:05:35] the influence it's had in the past. [00:05:37] >> So Senator Lindsey Graham our guest [00:05:39] obviously Senator Maduro now no tankers [00:05:42] in no tankers out. I mean the clock is [00:05:44] ticking. How long can this guy last and [00:05:47] what do you go ahead what do you think? [00:05:49] >> He'll leave. I mean we're So what should [00:05:51] we do when Putin says no to the the next [00:05:53] peace deal which I think he will. I [00:05:55] applaud the administration for trying to [00:05:57] get a a solution to Russia Ukraine that [00:06:00] Europe can live with, Ukraine can live [00:06:03] with, and we can live with. Putin's not [00:06:05] going to quit till somebody makes him [00:06:07] back to Venezuela. How do you stay in [00:06:09] power if your power is based on illicit [00:06:14] oil sales and we've cut that off? So, I [00:06:17] like the strategy of strangling the [00:06:20] economy of the bad guy. I'm not [00:06:23] suggesting we invade Venezuela. I don't [00:06:26] mind land strikes against narot [00:06:28] terrorist targets, but the seizing of [00:06:31] ships and the embargo of adiss of [00:06:34] illicit oil transfers will be the end of [00:06:38] Madura. [00:06:40] When Putin says no, and he will, we need [00:06:43] to pass my bill in the Senate with 85 [00:06:46] co-sponsors that would allow President [00:06:49] Trump to impose tariffs, not sanctions, [00:06:52] on countries that buy cheap Russian oil [00:06:54] to prop up his war machine. Uh, we need [00:06:56] to do more to help Ukraine militarily. [00:07:00] Now, what I've laid out is a strategy to [00:07:04] take down bad guy regime in Venezuela. a [00:07:08] strategy to push Putin to the table [00:07:10] without invading anybody. [00:07:14] >> So, couple of things. It looks like this [00:07:16] underwater [00:07:18] uh attack submarine got its first target [00:07:21] of a a Russian sub in port. It looks [00:07:25] like it blew it up. It also looks like [00:07:26] Ukraine is making some gains on a [00:07:29] counterattack in a in a town I think is [00:07:31] called Capensk. Uh, and we also see that [00:07:34] PCOV weighed in yesterday on what [00:07:36] they're working out with Ukraine, which [00:07:38] is a 20point peace plan. He says they [00:07:40] reiterate that Russia wants to end the [00:07:42] war, but seeks to achieve its goals, [00:07:44] which according to the Institute of [00:07:45] Study War, includes decapitating or [00:07:47] replacing the Ukrainian government, [00:07:49] destroying the Ukrainian military, and [00:07:50] undermining Western unity. None of those [00:07:52] three are happening, have happened, and [00:07:54] will happen. So, do you think this is [00:07:56] all wasted exercise? [00:07:58] >> Here's what I think. I think Putin will [00:08:00] come to the peace table when the price [00:08:02] gets too great. We know he doesn't mind [00:08:05] losing soldiers. That's not a price he [00:08:07] really cares about. But when his revenue [00:08:10] drops and he can't prop up his war [00:08:13] machine and his way of life and the [00:08:16] oligarchs begin to change, he'll come to [00:08:18] the table. China is the largest [00:08:21] purchaser of cheap Russian oil. China is [00:08:25] the largest purchaser of Iranian oil. [00:08:28] China is one of the largest purchasers [00:08:30] of oil from Venezuela. What does that [00:08:33] have in common? China is buying cheap [00:08:36] oil from bad guys to benefit their [00:08:38] economy and they need to pay a price. [00:08:41] I'd like to have a good relationship [00:08:42] with China, but China needs to be good [00:08:45] for that to happen. So, I am urging [00:08:47] President Trump to go after China and [00:08:50] other people, other countries that prop [00:08:53] up Putin's war machine. what he's doing [00:08:55] in Venezuela is the right model. I will [00:08:58] be introducing tomorrow some major [00:09:00] legislation [00:09:02] about the ability to seize ships. What [00:09:05] we're doing in Venezuela is seizing [00:09:07] ships carrying sanctioned oil illegally. [00:09:11] We need to transfer that model to the [00:09:14] Russian shutter fleet. [00:09:15] >> About a thousand, they have about a [00:09:17] thousand tankers uh the so-called ghost [00:09:20] tankers that are out there now. A couple [00:09:22] have been targeted by Ukraine and [00:09:24] they've captured them. Are you saying [00:09:25] that we should be doing the same thing? [00:09:27] >> Absolutely. The the free world should be [00:09:30] seizing these ships that operate [00:09:32] illegally. We've sanctioned the [00:09:35] pipelines coming out of Russia. The [00:09:38] ability to distribute oil and gas [00:09:40] through pipelines coming from Russia has [00:09:43] really been reduced. When President [00:09:45] Trump sanctioned the two largest oil [00:09:48] companies in Russia, it really mattered. [00:09:51] Without the shadow fleet, Russia cannot [00:09:54] survive to prosecute this war [00:09:58] economically, [00:09:59] go after the ships. [00:10:02] >> Senator, um I don't know if you saw 60 [00:10:05] Minutes on Sunday. We know what Japan's [00:10:07] doing. So, Germany is just building up. [00:10:09] They're increasing their military by I [00:10:11] think recruiting is up 70%. No problem. [00:10:13] >> And uh and Japan is doing the same [00:10:15] thing. And and the message throughout [00:10:16] Europe is the same thing. Now, people [00:10:18] might not like it, but what Trump is [00:10:20] saying is NATO, you got to step up. Not [00:10:23] only 5%, you just got to think to [00:10:24] yourself, how do I stop the next [00:10:25] invasion? And they've gotten the message [00:10:28] right now to defend themselves. Russia's [00:10:30] got to be saying to themselves, well, [00:10:32] that didn't work out. They added two two [00:10:34] formidable countries into NATO. Now, [00:10:37] Germany is rearming. We know they can [00:10:39] fight eventually. We hope. We know [00:10:41] Poland's building a wall and they have [00:10:43] they've been they got the message a long [00:10:45] time ago. Finland and Nor Finland and uh [00:10:48] Sweden get it. [00:10:49] >> So now we have uh France who was getting [00:10:52] the message. I'm not sure they're [00:10:53] capable of doing anything and we'll see. [00:10:55] So now all of a sudden our allies for [00:10:57] years and you were frustrated with John [00:10:59] McCain and with George Bush and with [00:11:01] others, they get the message now. Do you [00:11:03] think the message is going to be [00:11:04] sustainable? [00:11:05] >> Oh yeah, absolutely. I think Putin [00:11:07] should get the NATO man of the year [00:11:09] award. Putin has done more to wake up [00:11:12] Europe than anybody. Trump has kicked [00:11:14] them in the ass and it's worked. So [00:11:17] what's happened? We're cheering on [00:11:21] Germany and Japan having bigger and [00:11:24] stronger militaries. 80 years ago, this [00:11:28] year was the end of World War II. If you [00:11:32] told somebody a soldier in 1945 [00:11:36] in 2025, [00:11:38] Americans would be cheering on Germany [00:11:41] rearming and Japan rearming. They [00:11:44] thought you were crazy. It shows you how [00:11:46] the world changes. Out of the ashes of [00:11:49] the Third Reich and the Imperial Japan [00:11:53] over time, we created two democracies [00:11:56] that have aligned themselves with us. [00:11:58] Now, that can happen over time in Gaza [00:12:01] and the West Bank, but you got to get [00:12:02] the Arabs to go in on the ground, stop [00:12:05] preaching, killing the Jews, change the [00:12:07] school system, on and on and on. So, [00:12:09] what has Putin achieved here? NATO is [00:12:11] bigger. NATO is stronger. His economy is [00:12:15] sanctioned to the hilt. More is coming. [00:12:18] He's lost a million people. This is a [00:12:21] big flop unless we give him a victory at [00:12:24] the very end. China is watching. If this [00:12:27] ends where Ukraine is still around, [00:12:30] strong, independent, surviving, and [00:12:33] Putin spent a lot, got very little, it [00:12:36] will help chi, it will help China make a [00:12:39] decision about Taiwan. It will deter [00:12:41] China from evading Taiwan. If at the end [00:12:44] we give Putin a big gift, then there [00:12:47] goes Taiwan. [00:12:48] >> And where do you think we're at right [00:12:49] now? My last question, where you see the [00:12:52] 2019 to 20 points, [00:12:53] >> I think we're in a good spot. I think we [00:12:55] should not overly reward Putin. We can't [00:12:58] kick all the Russians out of Ukraine. So [00:13:00] there's not going to be a military [00:13:01] victory by Ukraine. Nor nor is Russia [00:13:04] going to Kev. A diplomatic solution that [00:13:06] prevents a third invasion. European [00:13:09] troops on the ground. America committed [00:13:11] to fighting with them if there's a third [00:13:12] invasion will deter a third invasion. [00:13:15] Deal deal with the Don boss in a way it [00:13:17] doesn't entice China to take Taiwan [00:13:19] would be a great outcome. President [00:13:21] Trump is cleaning up Biden and Obama's [00:13:24] mess and I think he's done a hell of a [00:13:26] good job with the economy. It will get [00:13:28] better over time. [00:13:29] >> I hear you, Senator Lindsey Graham. [00:13:30] Always impactful. Every word matters. I [00:13:32] really appreciate it. Thanks so much, [00:13:34] Senator. [00:13:34] >> Thank you. [00:13:35] >> All right, Senator making a real [00:13:36] difference. His foreign policy, I think, [00:13:37] is fantastic. Back in a moment. The [00:13:40] headline.