Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham

Interview

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We now turn to developments overseas tonight. Iranian-backed militias reportedly firing rockets at U.S. forces in Syria, following this week's airstrikes. Damage is still being assessed at the U.S. base in Eastern Syria. So far, no injuries have been reported.

Here with reaction, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.

Senator, I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about an off the record conversation we had, but this is exactly what you predicted to me would happen.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Yeah. So here's the game plan, number one, the Iranians are playing President Biden like a fiddle.

The ayatollah, Sean, is a religious Nazi. Hitler wanted a master race. The ayatollah wants a master religion. They're trying to drive us out of Syria and Iraq so they can dominate Syria, Iraq and Iran, the Shia crescent.

They're trying to build a nuclear weapon to hold the world hostage and one day destroy the state of Israel. They're on the path to accomplish all that unless we make a correction now. I've never been more worried than am right now about a war between Iran and Israel.

HANNITY: Well, you know, I think the biggest under -- well, the most underreported story was the Chinese, the Russians are now giving weapons to the Iranians so they can fight their proxy war in the rest of the Middle East.

GRAHAM: Yes.

HANNITY: I don't know. Am I the only person on national TV that seems to notice that's a big problem?

GRAHAM: You're the only one that talks about a lot of things. Number one, the Russians and the Chinese believe that what's bad for us is good for them. They're making a mistake with Iran.

Again, the Iranians want to dominate Syria, Iraq and Iran. They want to build a nuclear weapon to hold the world hostage, and destroy the state of Israel.

The state of Israel is in a bad spot here. How much longer do they wait -- do they wait before they act? I don't think you can trust the United States with Israel's security.

What Biden doesn't understand is who the ayatollah is. The ayatollah has a game plan that doesn't include Christians, Jews or moderate Muslims, Shia or Sunni.

So this is the most important event since the `30s. We have a chance to keep Iran on the ropes. We have a chance to keep them in a box, but every day, they get stronger because Biden doesn't understand the nature of the threat.

HANNITY: I -- you know, if I'm right and if my observations and the observations now of many people are correct that Joe is seems out of it, on a regular basis --

GRAHAM: Yeah.

HANNITY: -- does raise questions about, you know, how strong he is and how capable he is of even understanding it. Then it raises questions about who's making the decisions -- I would imagine that these hostile regimes from Russia to China to North Korea, to the Iranian mullahs, to radical Islamic terrorist groups, they probably are feeling somewhat emboldened now? Is that a wrong observation?

GRAHAM: Oh, my God.

Well, we're cutting our military's budget. Biden's budget increased non- defense spending by 17 percent, defense spending less than inflation. We're withdrawing from Afghanistan where we had a few thousand troops to keep al Qaeda and ISIS at bay.

But here's my message to your viewers tonight -- the Iranian regime are religious Nazis. They would kill all the Jews that they could. They would dominate the Mideast with a former religion that would make the world an unbearable place to live and they would come after us.

They're trying to drive us out of the Mideast. They understand that Biden is weak and he's making the world a much more dangerous place by showing weakness.

When Trump kills Soleimani, it reset our relationship with Iran. Everything Trump has accomplished Biden is undercutting.

HANNITY: A pretty scary scenario. Senator, thank you for keeping us updated. We appreciate it.

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