Blog
Jun 20 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) today introduced their bill to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law.
Countries currently designated as state sponsors of terrorism under U.S. law are Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria. State sponsors of terrorism are defined as having repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.
“When it comes to pushing back against Putin’s Russia, Senator Blumenthal has been terrific and I’m grateful for his efforts,” said Senator Graham. “I’m looking forward to voting on our legislation to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law for several reasons. Most importantly, this designation would dramatically increase the tools available to the U.S. to punish Putin for his barbaric behavior in Ukraine and his disruptive behavior throughout Africa and the world at large. Putin’s Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism and it’s long past time to make it official under U.S. law.”
“Russia's cruel campaign of violence and aggression has earned it the right to be among the pariah club of state sponsors of terrorism. Putin's unprovoked invasion has involved countless atrocities and crimes against humanity, inflicting terror and death on thousands of innocent civilians. He has repeatedly shown reliance on torture and murder. Designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism will allow the United States to more aggressively combat Putin's savagery as well as his threat to freedom and democracy,” said Senator Blumenthal.
Background on the Designating the Russia Federation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act
The bill would:
- Have secondary effects, including sanctions, for countries engaged in any exchange with Russia
- Expand the type of dual-use export items that would not be allowed into Russia
- Drastically curtail Russia’s sovereign immunity in the eyes of U.S. courts, thereby opening up Russia to lawsuits and other civil claims from victims of state sponsored terrorism
Background on the Russian Federation’s actions that qualify its designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism
At the direction of Vladimir Putin, the government of Russia has promoted, and continues to promote, acts of international terrorism against political opponents, foreign nationals and other countries. Examples include:
- 2004: The chemical poisoning of Ukrainian presidential candidate and informal opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko
- 2006: The poisoning of a former Russian Federal Security Service officer Alexander Litvinenko while he was in London
- 2014: Supplying surface to air missiles used by pro-Russian rebels to shoot down the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 resulting in the deaths of 298 innocent men, women and children
- 2016: Supporting the aerial bombing campaign by the Russian-Syrian coalition in the city of Aleppo, Syria, killing at least 430 people and striking civilian targets, including the al-Sakhour Medical Center
- 2018: Poisoning former Russian military officer and British double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal in the United Kingdom
- 2022: Illegally invading the sovereign nation of Ukraine, resulting in the brutal murder of thousands of innocent civilians
- 2024: Russian opposition leader and vocal Putin critic Aleksey Navalny was reported dead after Russian officials announced he died from “sudden death syndrome.” Following Navalny’s death, President Biden said “make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. What has happened to Navalny is more proof of Putin’s brutality.”
To read the full bill text, click HERE.
Jun 19 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), James Risch (R-Idaho), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and John Thune (R-South Dakota) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting the U.S. Department of Justice’s position on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) action against the State of Israel.
The Senators pointed out that the ICC has targeted Israel but failed to take action against several rogue nation states that routinely commit horrific violations of international law, including China, Iran, and North Korea.
“This action is especially troublesome considering the bipartisan conversation held between members of the Senate and Prosecutor Khan last month in which Khan assured senators that a complete and thorough investigation would be conducted before any action was taken. These assurances were untrue, and the decision to proceed so recklessly and rapidly cannot be justified in light of the ICC’s other investigations—such as the one into crimes against humanity in Venezuela—that have been under investigation for years. There are also several rogue nation states that routinely and brazenly commit horrific violations of international law, including China, Iran, and North Korea, which the ICC has summarily ignored.”
They also noted that this action violates a core tenant of the Court’s founding statute.
The Senators wrote, “The ICC’s conduct clearly violates the principle of complementarity. In its preamble, the Rome Statute states that the ICC shall be ‘complementary to national criminal jurisdictions.’ The ICC acknowledges this commitment in its description of its own jurisdiction: ‘The ICC is intended to complement, not to replace, national criminal systems; it prosecutes cases only when States are unwilling or unable to do so genuinely.’ Complementarity is not simply an idealistic aspiration in the Rome Statute. Rather, it is one of the cornerstone principles.
They concluded, “Considering the Department of Justice’s role in protecting freedom and liberty, it is paramount that Congress understand the Department’s position regarding the ICC’s actions. In furtherance of that goal, we request answers to the following questions:
- Do you agree that Prosecutor Khan has not adequately considered the principle of complementarity in his request for warrants against Israeli leaders? If the principle of complementarity has been violated, is the ICC acting unlawfully?
- Do you believe that the ICC is in violation of the Rome Statute with their recent recognition of a Palestinian state as a sovereign entity?
- Do you have concerns that the ICC’s breach of precedent will be used to target U.S. servicemembers in the future?”
To read the full letter, click HERE.
#####
Jun 17 2024
WASHINGTON — On Friday, U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting additional information concerning the recent apprehension of several individuals from Tajikistan with suspected ties to ISIS who entered the U.S. through the southern border.
The Senators wrote, “The circumstances of these arrests have highlighted significant potential vulnerabilities within our border security and immigration screening processes. Given the serious national security implications of these deficiencies, it is imperative that we receive detailed information to fully understand the scope of these issues and to ensure that our border infrastructure and national security systems are adequately safeguarding against such threats.
“For this reason, we request the following information from your agency no later than June 28, 2024:
- All Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records, including component records and complete Alien Files (A-Files), related to all of the individuals arrested in connection with this operation, including their immigration status and criminal history;
- All communications from or between DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ICE, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding these individuals, including but not limited to their immigration status and criminal history;
- All documents and communications regarding the arrival and entry of these individuals at the southwest land border or any other U.S. border, including any documents, communications or data related to these individuals seeking or receiving appointments through the CBP One mobile app;
- All documents and communications related to detention space at the time of each individual’s apprehension;
- Any addresses provided by these individuals upon entering the U.S.;
- All documents and communications related to these individuals’ personal information processed through international and national criminal databases;
- All documents and communications related to any asylum or protection claims made by these individuals, including the type and reason provided;
- All communications that DHS, CBP, or ICE had with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in relation to these individuals, including but not limited to any arrests or detainments by any state jurisdiction; and
- All documents and communications detailing their transit through other countries and whether they sought asylum in a third country.”
Read the full text of the letter HERE.
Jun 13 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and 27 of their Senate Republican colleagues sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland condemning the evisceration of the American judicial process and the conviction of former President Donald Trump in Manhattan, New York.
The Senators wrote, “The conviction of President Trump in Manhattan is nothing short of the evisceration of the American judicial process. In their zeal to imprison Donald Trump, Democrat prosecutors successfully dissolved the constitutional protections afforded to defendants and the barriers that protect every American from the abuses of arbitrary rule…Due process cannot exist when the defendant is accused of a secret crime. No American – not even a President – can defend himself fairly in a court of law if he is deprived of his Sixth Amendment right to know what crime he is alleged to have committed.”
They concluded, “We condemn this show trial, not just because it marks the attempt to imprison a leader of the loyal opposition, but because it threatens the existence of due process of law, without which a constitutional republic dedicated to the protection of individual liberty is not possible.”
Full text of the letter is HERE.
In addition to Graham and Paul, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), JD Vance (R-Ohio), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri).
####
Jun 07 2024
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Katie Britt (R-Alabama) yesterday commemorated the 80th anniversary of D-Day from Omaha Beach, one of five beach landing sites for the Allied forces during World War II.
- GRAHAM: “This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. My dad was a World War II veteran in the Pacific in New Guinea. There were 66 American World War II vets here today. They all [had] just incredible stories.” https://youtu.be/--sOREiv7pw?si=DHq3SjwdAkssUa_P&t=31
- GRAHAM: “[These veterans] still love our country. And it reminds you what can happen if you don’t do your job right, politically. If you let evil go unchecked you wind up getting a lot of people put in harm’s way.” https://youtu.be/--sOREiv7pw?si=EKwgZMrl4TcXVZP8&t=51
- GRAHAM: “The best thing we can do here is not only honor these people who defeated Hitler, but make sure that on our watch we don’t let this happen again.” https://youtu.be/--sOREiv7pw?si=xK0XDmrnkBmZyOiq&t=71
- BRITT: “We hope that you will join us in remembering [the veterans and the fallen], remembering their sacrifice, and remembering that we must fight for our freedom at each generation. It doesn’t just get passed down. It’s something we have to be intentional about.” https://youtu.be/--sOREiv7pw?si=gdxxfpDOs7u4nNWB&t=90
Click here to watch Graham and Britt’s statements
Photos and videos of Senator Graham at the D-Day ceremony in Normandy are available HERE.
Details on the bipartisan Senate delegation that Sens. Graham and Britt participated in are HERE.
#####
Jun 06 2024
Jun 05 2024
WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) issued this statement after the House of Representatives’ approved sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the court’s decision to apply for arrest warrants for Israeli officials.
“We are very pleased that Speaker Johnson moved forward with sanctions against the International Criminal Court for the outrageous actions against the State of Israel.
“This measure received bipartisan support in the House and we urge Senate Democratic Leader Schumer to immediately bring this legislation to the floor for a vote in the Senate.
“We support the House of Representative’s proposal because without strong action now, it is our opinion that the ICC will eventually come after U.S. personnel.
“It is Israel today and the United States tomorrow. We must stand firmly against the ICC in order to protect our own forces in future conflicts.”
#####
Jun 05 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) is traveling to Normandy, France as a part of a bipartisan Senate delegation for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by Allied forces during World War II.
Senator Graham said:
“I am incredibly privileged and honored to be able to attend the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing with my House and Senate colleagues.
“Eighty years ago, the Allied forces, led by General Eisenhower, planned and executed one of the most amazing military operations in history. But like every great plan, it works until it doesn’t, and that is when the innovation, courage and determination of the common soldier takes over.
“There will be 100 American D-Day veterans attending this ceremony, and their average age is over 100 years-old. I can only imagine how they must feel all these years later.
“My message to them is simple: Thank you for saving the civilized world and the American way of life. May God bless you and may your fallen comrades rest in peace.”
The Senate delegation is being led by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and John Boozman (R-Arkansas) and will also include U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Washington), Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), Joe Manchin (I-West Virginia), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Gary Peters (D-Michigan), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), and Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri).
The delegation will arrive in Normandy on Thursday, June 6, and join American and French leaders and veterans at a ceremony at the American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer. The delegation will meet with World War II veterans and pay their respects at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Later that day, members of the delegation will join heads of state representing Allied partners at an international ceremony at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
On Sunday, June 9, the delegation will watch as hundreds of U.S. servicemembers stationed in Europe, and from U.S.-based units with historical links to D-Day, join servicemembers and civilians from all over Europe participating in a commemorative parachute jump.
While in France, the delegation will also meet with American diplomatic and military leadership stationed in Europe.
#####
Jun 04 2024
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today reacted to President Joe Biden’s executive order that would worsen the crisis at the southern border.
- GRAHAM: “If you want the border secured, and you’re waiting on [the Biden Administration] to do it, you’re going to die waiting.” https://youtu.be/ioyq4bS9DEU?si=UR5rH4G7DbfDiCsZ&t=12
- GRAHAM: “The policy as I understand it, is going to be an economic boom for the cartels… There is going to be a cap when you shut down the border every day. So if you’re a cartel, you’re going to ‘rack and stack’ them. You’re going to find out exactly how many who can get through a day and you’re going to say ‘who would like to pay more to move up in the line?’ The biggest beneficiary of this policy is human trafficking cartels.” https://youtu.be/ioyq4bS9DEU?si=67OmE8ZOJvFqJ-D-&t=19
- GRAHAM: “[President Trump] told me this morning, when he gets to be president, not only is he going to secure the border, he’s going to deport hundreds of thousands of people here illegally. If you want to shut down illegal immigration, those coming need to see an outflow by the tens and hundreds of thousands. That will deter [illegal immigration]. The only policy change that will work is to have mass deportations because people will stop coming when they see people leaving.” https://youtu.be/ioyq4bS9DEU?si=efUxb9gX78_-ejWd&t=70
Jun 01 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement following a meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt.
“I enjoyed a very cordial, frank and intense meeting with the President of Egypt regarding the way forward in the region. I reinforced to the President that the United States of America considers Egypt a valuable ally and partner. I appreciate the close military cooperation between our two countries. It is vitally important to our national security, especially with regard to our interests in the region. In addition to our deep security ties, economic opportunities for American investment loom large and will be a win-win for both countries.
“I informed the President I am grateful for his leadership at a time of great peril and acknowledge the efforts he has made to deal with the humanitarian crisis and border issues associated with the war in Gaza.
“This conflict caused by a barbaric attack against the state of Israel has created tension and raised security concerns unlike any time in the recent past.
“Egypt’s efforts to facilitate negotiations for a ceasefire and release of Israeli and American hostages have been essential. Egypt has also been indispensable in trying to negotiate the complexities of the Rafah operation without the war expanding.
“It is virtually impossible to take steps toward stability for the region now and in the future without President El-Sisi’s leadership. He is an indispensable player in determining how this ends and when this ends.
“Egypt is the linchpin in securing an end to this war and creating a better future for the region.
“He is fully engaged in the ongoing efforts in the region to achieve lasting peace and security for all its peoples through the implementation of the two-state solution and by opening the doors for coexistence and regional cooperation. He indicated this outcome is possible and will be a game changer for the region and that he will do what he can to help this process move forward.
“President El-Sisi told me that it is important to recognize the legitimate rights and concerns of both Palestinians and Israelis, including as relates to security, and was clear that he wants to build on existing peace agreements in the region, but insisted it is long past time for the Palestinian people to have a sovereign state that lives peacefully beside Israel. He has also stressed on every occasion that there can be no regional stability without dignity, hope and prosperity for the Palestinian people.”
####
