Two U.S. senators on Israel-Iran conflict, Russian sanction bill and ICE raids in L.A.
WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the latest on Israeli strikes against Iran.
Brennan asked Senator Graham to clarify his comments when he said he believes it's "in America's interest to go all in to help Israel finish the job," to which the senator said:
"So, the worst possible outcome for the world is for the Iranian nuclear program to survive after all this. How do you destroy their program? Through diplomacy, I prefer that, or through military action. If diplomacy is not successful, and we left with the option of force, I would urge President Trump to go all in to make sure that when this operation is over, there's nothing left standing in Iran regarding their nuclear program. If that means providing bombs, provide bombs. If it means flying with Israel, fly with Israel. The worst possible outcome for the world is to take the Iranian nuclear program on and leave it standing. That will be a disaster."
Brennan then asked Senator Blumenthal how involved should the U.S. get in the conflict, to which Blumenthal said:
"Let's begin with the basic proposition that ought to motivate American policy as well as the world. A nuclear-armed Iran is a unacceptable threat to the world, not just to Israel, but to the United States as well. And I support Israel's right to defend itself against this existential menace. I'm very concerned right now about United States personnel in the region, our servicemen and women, but also the civilians that are there. I'm getting phone calls from families in Connecticut who are deeply worried about their children who were there, about the hostage families. I support the President's effort to prioritize diplomacy."
During the interview, Brennan, Blumenthal and Graham talked about the senators' bipartisan bill to greatly increase economic sanctions on Russia as the war in Ukraine continues.
Brennan said the senators need the Senate leader to put the bill to a floor vote, as well as needing President Donald Trump to give the approval, prompting her to ask them what they are waiting for, to which Blumenthal answered saying:
"I think the president should call on the Senate to vote approval of the Russian sanctions bill literally tomorrow. He's on his way tonight to the G7 meeting. He will be sitting across from world leaders. Right now, very bluntly, the perception may be one of weakness in terms of America's position on Ukraine. He can be there in a position of strength. This bill will pass overwhelmingly. Has 84 evenly divided co-sponsors. It will get 90 votes on the floor of the Senate. This moment cries out for presidential leadership. There is an urgency here. We've seen the neighborhoods decimated, people killed in their sleep, women and children shot in the back of their heads and buried in mass graves in Bucha, children who are kidnapped and re-educated, 20,000 of them, behind Russian lines. These atrocities are ongoing, and the people of Ukraine are bleeding and dying. So I am hoping that the President will affirmatively show leadership here and call on the Senate to vote. The majority leader could do it tomorrow...We have some technical issues to work out, but I really think the moment has come for President Trump to call on the Senate."
Later in the interview, Brennan and the senators talked about the ICE raids happening in Los Angeles and President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard.
When asked if they think the confrontation between federalized military forces and protesters "is partly because of what Democrats have done to date," Blumenthal answered saying:
"The use of military, whether it's the National Guard or the Marines, can be inflammatory and provocative. We had protests across the country yesterday that were entirely peaceful. I was at a number of them in Connecticut, in Hartford and Farmington and elsewhere, all around the country. I think this country knows how to do peaceful protest, and the exceptions ought to be handled by the local police and prosecutors locally. I spent most of my life in law enforcement before I had this job. I was the chief federal prosecutor in Connecticut, then I was attorney general for 20 years, and the reliance on state and local police, I think, is well founded. And I've supported, in fact, I've introduced a bill that would limit use of the Insurrection Act, would define better what is a rebellion and compel the president to come back to Congress for approval if he uses this kind of federal force. So I think that there are criticisms to be made of immigration policies. In fact, I favor comprehensive immigration reform."
Blumenthal added, "It's the local level where law enforcement happens in this country. We rely on state and local police, and that ought to be the way we enforce our laws in this country and emphasize the importance of peaceful protests, such as we saw yesterday around the country."
To watch more of Brennan's interview with the senators, click here.
