State of the Union: Interview With Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Interview
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Well, I appreciate the effort to get our folks out of the embassy that serve over there. The military did a very successful operation.
Yes, I'm worried. You have got thousands of people in the middle of a civil war. And have we been late about sort of telling them to leave? Could you see this coming? Those questions will be asked and answered later on.
But, right now, if I were an American in Sudan, I would shelter in place. And, hopefully, we can find a way to end the fighting, get humanitarian aid, and get our people out.
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Right.
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Yes, I think what the court is going to do is send it back for a little more evaluation.
But the issue is, was the drug lawfully approved? Did the FDA follow its own procedures, chemical abortion safe? So, those issues will be decided by the court. The idea of mailing the drug, sending the drug through the mail, runs into a statute called the Comstock Act. The Supreme Court will sort all this out here in the coming months, and I will live with whatever decision they make.
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Right.
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Well, I think it's a law in the books, and it was there -- it was placed there for a reason.
But sending the abortion drug through the mail is -- is a big change in how it is provided. In 2000, when it was first approved, you had to have four visits to the doctor. In 2021, the Biden administration said you don't have to even consult a physician anymore and send it through the mail.
Is that safe? Is that -- has the FDA gone too far? Have they used the procedures in place to make such a dramatic change? That's what the court will decide.
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Right.
Well, I have been supporting a limit on late-term abortions for -- since 2015. I had a bill to limit abortions at 20 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother. Seventy percent of Americans support limiting abortion when the -- when the unborn child can feel pain; 50 of 53 European nations limit abortion at 15 weeks or less.
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The modern Democrat -- yes, it's a human rights issue. Does it really matter where you're conceived?
At 15 weeks, you have a developed heart and lungs. And to dismember a child at 15 weeks is a painful experience. It's barbaric. It's out of line with the rest of the civilized world. Only North Korea and China allow abortion demand up to the moment of birth, except the Democratic Party.
What the Democratic Party proposes on abortion is barbaric. Abortion up to the moment of birth, taxpayer-funded...
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... I think is barbaric. I welcome this debate.
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I think the Republican Party will be in good standing to oppose late-term abortion, like most of the civilized world.
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No, that's no -- no, no, quit covering for these guys.
No, no, no, your -- media, you keep covering for these guys. They introduced legislation that allowed abortion demand with taxpayer- funded -- you paying for it, the taxpayer, up to the moment of birth. That was their position in Washington. That's the law they want to pass. And nobody in your business will talk about it.
It's barbaric.
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Yes. Yes.
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OK. Well, just report -- report the facts.
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Well, I can tell you how they voted.
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He said yesterday, I think, at a speech in Iowa that he opposes late-term abortion.
Here's what I believe, that anybody running for president who has a snowball's chance in hell in the 2024 primary is going to be with me, the American people, and all of Europe saying late-term abortions should be off the table. Seventy percent of the people oppose late- term abortions.
I am confident, over time, that's where our nominee will be. I am confident that no Democrat will answer the question of, when do you draw a line? They never get challenged. I welcome this debate.
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I welcome this debate. Should we be like China and North Korea or should we be like Europe when it comes to late-term abortion?
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OK.
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Yes.
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Yes.
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Yes.
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Yes.
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Well, time will tell on it.
But what I see on the ground, I spent four days, Dana -- and thanks for bringing the topic up. They have changed pretty dramatically their economy. They're trying to modernize their economy. Women can now drive. Women can go out to dinner without a male escort.
I met 20, 30 entrepreneur Saudi women that were very excited about the changes. I also went to Israel. And here's why I went. The Biden administration is trying to build on the Abraham Accords started by President Trump.
And the biggest prize, for lack of a better word, would be to get Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel and vice versa. And the Biden administration is trying to do that. And I want to help them. I think the Biden administration is right to want a normalized relationship with Saudi Arabia, based on the changes I see, and eventually have Saudi Arabia and Israel recognize each other, which would be the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
It'd be the biggest change in the Mideast in modern times. And I want to help President Biden and the parties do that, if we can.
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Yes.
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Yes, if she resigned, I would make sure that whatever we did in the past when members resigned would be followed.
As to Senator Feinstein, she is a wonderful person. She's been a very effective senator. I hope she comes back. We had Mark Kirk out for four months. No Republican asked that his seat be temporarily filled. This is about four or five judges they can't get out of the committee.
I voted for seven or nine judges yesterday -- a couple of days ago. I'm very capable of supporting Democratic nominees, but they're four or five that are just out of the mainstream, and they want to replace Dianne Feinstein's seat for the judges. But I hope she comes back.
But if she does resign, I would be in the camp of following the president of the Senate replacing the person, consistent with what we have done in the past. But I hope she comes back. I hope Dianne gets better. She's a wonderful person.
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Yes.
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Yes.
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Yes.
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Yes.
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Well, both of them are just incredible people. Tim is the ranking member on Banking, the world's nicest man. Nikki was a tremendous voice at the U.N.
The reason I'm with President Trump is, I thought he was a good president on the things that mattered the most. We had a secure border. We destroyed the caliphate. We had energy independence. I think he's the right person to fix the problems that we face to undo all the damage by Biden.
It's not anything about Nikki or Tim that I find fault in. It's about the ability of President Trump to get things done that should be done. I'd like to see him have another term. I'm not supporting him because I find fault in others. I'm supporting him because I think he was a very effective president across the board economically and on national security.
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Thank you.
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