A sitting US senator thought it was a good idea Thursday night to explicitly call for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During an appearance on Fox News, primetime host Sean Hannity, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) claims that the only way to end the escalating crisis caused by Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine is if his political allies kill Putin.
“What happens is Putin looks at Biden, size him up, he thinks he can get away with it, and he’s just going to keep going and going and going and nobody in the West is going to stop him.” , said Graham.
Later, the South Carolina lawmaker mentioned both Julius Ceaser’s betrayal and Germany’s failed attempt to kill Adolf Hitler in 1944.
“How did this end? Someone in Russia has to step on the plate,” Graham told Hannity, who was also thinking about a plot to assassinate Putin the night before. “Is there Brutus in Russia? Was Colonel Stauffenberg more successful in the Russian army? The only way to end this, my friend, is to have someone in Russia get this guy out! You will do your country a great service and the world a great service. ”
Notably, Graham’s raised eyebrows came as Fox News filmed a fire that broke out at a huge Ukrainian nuclear plant following shelling by a Russian armored column. The station director, thankfully, then said that the radiation safety of the facility was guaranteed and there is currently no threat of a nuclear disaster.
Shortly after appearing on Hannity’s show, Graham decided to tweet the same request for someone in Russia to kill Putin, once again insisting this is the best way to prevent war.
“The only people who can fix this are the Russian people,” pro-Trump senator added to a follow-up tweet. “Easy said, hard to do. Unless you want to live in the dark for the rest of your life, isolated from the rest of the world in terrible poverty, and live in the dark, you need to step up to the city.” labour. ‘
Graham’s remarks were quickly met with criticism that spanned the political spectrum. As for News presenter Laura Ingraham, while noting that she “likes Lindsey Graham,” said Thursday night that “it seems really dangerous and stupid” when the senator posted a threatening tweet. close.
A Twitter spokesperson has yet to respond when The Daily Beast asked if Graham’s tweets were infringing the rules of the platform against threats of violence and the inducement to cause physical harm.
