Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham

Interview

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HANNITY: All right. Big developments today with the migrant caravan amassing on our southern border. The A.P. reporting that Tijuana officials now have arrested 34 migrants on charges like drug possession, public intoxication, resisting the police.

Meanwhile, an activist judge in San Francisco temporarily blocking the administration's policy of denying asylum to migrants who cross the border illegally.

here with reaction, South Carolina Senator, Lindsey Graham. You know, it was interesting. Now that they were saying that Republicans were only saying this to scare people before the election. It's real.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM R-S.C.: Right.

HANNITY: Ask the people in Tijuana that say that they feel like they have been invaded. But it's now here. And I want to get your reaction. How do we handle this?

GRAHAM: Well, number one, if it weren't for Fox News you wouldn't know that people in Tijuana have had a problem with this. The people there are pushing back hard.

So, under our law, if we come here illegally you can still seek asylum and once you make an asylum application, it takes months for it to get through. We wind up releasing you into the country. This is nuts.

So, I'm going to introduce legislation early in the next Congress to make sure that if you come here illegally you can never apply for asylum. President Trump is right to change his policy and we'll see what happens.

HANNITY: Yes. All right. Let me turn to another. I have your statement on Saudi Arabia. I don't think there has been anyone in the media more critical more regularly for more years--

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: That's for sure. That's for sure.

HANNITY: -- than me of Saudi Arabia. How they treat women, gays, lesbians, Christians and Jews are persecuted.

GRAHAM: Yes.

HANNITY: With that said, I think MBS did know, and probably order the killing of this Jamal Khashoggi.

GRAHAM: Yes.

HANNITY: Here's the problem we have. World War II we had to align with a mass murder by the name of Joseph Stalin to defeat Hitler.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: We didn't like that alliance, either. Right now, we have a historic moment where U.S., Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates, the Saudis are now perfectly aligned against Iranian hegemony and the threats of them getting a nuclear weapon with their radical ideology of wanting to destroy the world and America and Israel.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: I think there should be -- I agree with you about sanctions, I agree there needs to be a punishment, but I also agree with the president--

GRAHAM: Yes.

HANNITY: -- that we should not end this relationship.

GRAHAM: Yes. And I'm not talking about ending the relationship. Everything you said is true about the strategic nature of the relationship, but here's what I believe. Saudi Arabia needs as more than we need them. It's not too much to ask an ally not to butcher a guy in a consulate. This is not World War II, so I am not going to look away at what MBS did. I think he did it, I think he is--

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: I do, too.

GRAHAM: -- absolutely crazy about what he's done in the Mideast.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: And, you know, also a danger, though--

GRAHAM: Yes.

HANNITY: -- that we push him into the arms he would buy, he would have more strategic alliances, we drove him into the arms of Putin, Iran, Syria, and China?

GRAHAM: Well, I'll be honest with you, Sean. There is no way no way Saudi Arabia is ever going to align with Iran, they are mortal enemies. If they want to, you know, balance from Russia, fine.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: I got it.

GRAHAM: The bottom line here is, I care about the strategic relationship. I'm going to support Israel completely but I'm not going to turn my back on this guy. We've got a historic opportunity here to tell the people in the Mideast there is a new sheriff in town. If you disrespect us and you trample over civilized norms, you're going to pay a price.

If you want to keep MBS, that is your decision to make, Saudi Arabia. As long as you make that decision, you have a hard time with me. If you want to replace him with somebody who is not crazy, that would be a good move.

HANNITY: Yes, I agree with you wholly. All right. A it goes with the president--

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: It's not complicated for me. I like Saudi Arabia--

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: No, it's not complicated either for me.

GRAHAM: -- but this guy is crazy and he needs to go.

HANNITY: But there is some -- I actually really believe we have a moment in history that never existed before. This strategic alliance--

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: Totally.

HANNITY: -- would actually be--

GRAHAM: Totally, 100 percent.

HANNITY: -- the moment where we find peace in the Middle East.

GRAHAM: Yes, maybe.

HANNITY: And the Iranians are far too dangerous. We cannot allow that moment to come when they have nukes. Let me ask you. So now the--

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: Yes. Radical Islam with a nuclear weapon is really dangerous.

HANNITY: Yes. That's a bad scenario. A.G., who would you like to see?

GRAHAM: I don't really -- Mr. Barr is good, I like Mr. Ludick (Ph), there are a lot of good choices. I would like to see somebody in place next year that can guide the Justice Department in a new direction. I think Jeff Sessions had to go. The president was right to replace him. I like Mr. Whitaker, fine, but I don't think he's the permanent solution.

I promise your viewers, if I am the chairman of the judiciary committee, we're going to find about -- find out about the FBI the way they got a FISA warrant against Carter Page. I think the special counsel should been appointed yesterday.

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HANNITY: Go ahead. All right. Last question--

GRAHAM: A hundred percent.

HANNITY: How important is Mississippi this last--

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: You know, if the shoe were on the other foot, they would be crucifying us right now if this was a warrant issued against a Hillary Clinton sympathizer. I mean, I cannot believe the double standard of our friends in the media if shoe on the other foot. This is somebody that, you know, that hated Trump, and we were going after a Clinton person like this, it would be front-page news all over the place. To your listeners, we're not going to ignore the rule of law.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: How important is Mississippi? I got to go.

GRAHAM: We are going to find out where it goes.

HANNITY: All right. How important is Mississippi, and then I got to roll. The Senate race.

GRAHAM: If you care about judges, and you care about tax cuts, you care about a strong military, vote for the Republicans. The Democrats is going to take us backward, the Republicans will keep us on track.

HANNITY: All right. Thank you for being with us, Lindsey Graham. Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Coming up, Jesse and Jessica, no winner last week. They will take on the media freak out and double standard and hypocrisy over the Ivanka Trump so- called female controversy nonstory. Straight ahead.

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