Lindsey Graham went off on a Newsmax reporter at a press conference in Israel for asking Democratic senators to condemn Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s recent comments.
Before raising his concerns about Tlaib’s debunked claims that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza, the reporter expressed his gratitude towards the bipartisan delegation touring the Middle East country: “Thank you, Daniel Cohen, the Jerusalem correspondent for Newsmax. I want to say thank you for being here. My family lives here. I made aliyah two years ago. So this is personal,” he began.
“I know many people were sent from the United States, and there is international press from around the world. And I heard every single one of you voicing your support for Israel fervently, stridently, and I heard that. And I received that into my heart,” Cohen added.
Still, he expressed concern that anti-Israeli sentiment persisted outside of the room, including in the United States. He asked any Democratic senator on stage if they would like to speak to Tlaib.
Graham, who had become visibly irritated, intervened at that point.
The Hill has more on the interaction:
Graham then called to “get this guy out of here.” The two continued to argue before Graham said that people should not judge lawmakers based on what others within their party say.
“And I believe in free speech. I don’t believe what the Squad has to say at all. But I came here with Democrats and Republicans to let everybody in the world know, don’t judge every Democrat by the Squad, and don’t judge every Republican by some of the things you hear,” Graham said.
The senator quickly seemed to back down from his request to remove the reporter, and apologized for his outburst. “And I’m sorry, my friend. I probably shouldn’t have said it, but my nerves are raw right now,” Graham said.
Tlaib’s post on X is now labeled with a community note pointing to Associated Press analysis that the blast was caused by an errant rocket fired within Palestinian territory. Israeli and United States intelligence officials have pointed blame at the Islamic Jihad group.
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