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Graham calls for 'somebody in Russia' to assassinate Putin

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (Reuters file photo)

In a shocking statement urging a murder of a foreign leader, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for “somebody in Russia” to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin amid Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.

“Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?” Graham, a foreign policy hawk, posted on Twitter, referring to the assassin of Roman king Julius Caesar and the attempted assassin of Germany’s Adolf Hitler.

“The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service,” Graham added.

“If Russia played the game that Langley and Congress are playing here, the in-kind response might be to make a reciprocal call for someone to 'take out' Graham,” said American journalist Don DeBar, commenting on Graham’s tweet.

“But Russia is different. It's political class likely recognizes that Graham is a liability to Washington and, if they respond at all, it might be to recommend some dietary and other health regimes to extend his life as long as possible, so he can continue to reveal how unlawful and corrupt the US government really is,” he added.

In another statement last month completely in line with his unbalanced mental state and homicidal history, Graham encouraged Israel to assassinate more Iranian scientists.

During a visit to Israel in mid-February, Graham claimed that the Jewish people can’t live with a nuclear Iran and that he had “no doubt that Israel will do what she has to” against Iran’s nuclear program.

“A lot of Iranian scientists have had a lot of accidents, and we would expect more accidents to come,” he said, referring to the assassinations of a number of Iranian scientists in terrorist attacks widely attributed to the Israeli regime.

In a letter submitted to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Iran’s permanent mission to the UN said the remarks were “disgusting” and “hateful” and acted as a “green light” to the Israeli regime to continue its terrorist attacks against Iranian scientists.

Graham's comments on Putin quickly drew rebukes on Twitter by Republicans and Democrats who found it irresponsible for a US senator to call for the assassination of a leader of another country.

"Seriously, wtf?" Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted. "I really wish our members of Congress would cool it and regulate their remarks as the administration works to avoid WWlll. As the world pays attention to how the US and it’s leaders are responding, Lindsey’s remarks and remarks made by some House members aren’t helpful."

Republican senator Ted Cruz (Texas) also condemned Graham's comments.

"This is an exceptionally bad idea. Use massive economic sanctions; BOYCOTT Russian oil & gas; and provide military aid so the Ukrainians can defend themselves," Cruz tweeted. "But we should not be calling for the assassination of heads of state."

“While we are all praying for peace & for the people of Ukraine, this is irresponsible, dangerous & unhinged,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said in a tweet. “We need leaders with calm minds & steady wisdom. Not blood thirsty warmongering politicians trying to tweet tough by demanding assassinations. Americans don’t want war.”

Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R) called Graham’s statement “Biden-level stupidity and recklessness,” while Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) sarcastically mused, “When has Sen. Graham encouraging regime change ever ended badly?”

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Ivanovich condemned Graham’s comments. 

“I find the statement of American politics unacceptable and outrageous. The degree of Russophobia and hatred in the USA towards Russia is off the charts. It’s unbelievable that a country’s senator preaching his moral values as a ‘guiding star’ to all mankind could afford a call on terrorism as a way to achieve Washington’s goals on the international arena,” he said in response to a question about the tweet.

Putin announced last week a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region to “defend people” subjected to "genocide" there against government forces, stressing that Moscow has “no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory.”

US President Joe Biden called the Russian action an "unprovoked and unjustified attack," and the American media described it as the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two assault by Russia.

The Biden administration has imposed harsh economic and banking sanctions on Russia in response to Russia's military actions in Ukraine.  

Biden said the sanctions would limit Russia's ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen.

Biden claimed that the only other alternative to the sanctions would be to start a “Third World War.”

"You have two options. Start a Third World War; go to war with Russia, physically, or to make sure that the country that acts so contrary to international law ends up paying a price for having done it," Biden sarcastically claimed in an interview on Saturday.


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