Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has vowed to kill Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 attack on Israel, if former President Trump is re-elected.
Graham criticized the Biden administration's handling of Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. In an interview Fox News' Hannity predicted that a second Trump administration would take a tougher stance in the region.
“If Donald Trump becomes president, these hostages will come home, because he will say to the ayatollahs, 'I hold you responsible for the safety and well-being of these people, and if they don't come home, you will pay a price,'” Graham said in an interview, without evidence.
“[President] Joe Biden has allowed Iran to commit murder. He has pumped money into them. In their eyes, he is a weak man. No one is weaker than him. [Vice President] “Kamala Harris,” he continued, “God bless the friends of Israel. God help the friends of Israel. Here comes Donald Trump.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the indictments Tuesday against Sinwar and other militants for their role in the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed more than 1,100 people, including at least 40 Americans, and sparked war in the region. About 250 people, including more than a dozen Americans, have been held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.
“In the early morning hours of October 7th of last year, the defendants led Hamas, which carried out the most violent and widespread terrorist attack ever,” Judge Garland said in a video announcement on Tuesday. “They committed the worst genocide of Jews since the Holocaust.”
The attorney general added that the unsealed charges were “only a small part” of the Justice Department's efforts to “target all aspects of Hamas' operations.”
“These actions will not be our last. The Department of Justice has a long memory,” he said. “We will pursue terrorists who kill Americans and those who illegally provided them with material support for the rest of their lives.”
But Graham mocked the indictment in an interview on Tuesday. He suggested Hamas members would not be deterred by legal action, saying: “We've lost our deterrent. No one is afraid of Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.”
“What is Biden doing? He is suing Sinwal for crimes in a US court,” the senator said. “We are not fighting a crime here. We are fighting a war. Sinwal [couldn’t] I don't care if Garland is indicted.”
“Sinwar, you don't have much time left to live,” he continued. “We're not going to prosecute you. We're going to kill you.”
The Hill has reached out to the Biden administration and the Trump and Harris campaigns for comment.
