Newly released footage from a documentary shows the late Senator Lindsey Graham expressing intense satisfaction after the United States carried out airstrikes against Iran in late February, a move he had actively advocated for. Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, described to the documentary crew that he "almost cried" upon seeing the strikes occur, remarking, "Look what we've done here. I almost cried. How long have we been pushing this?"
Graham also relayed a conversation with then-President Donald Trump, who he said was enthusiastic about the military action. "I talked to Trump this morning, he's jacked. He said, 'best thing I have ever done. He loves blowing stuff up,'" Graham recounted, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Following the strikes on Iran, Graham reportedly intended to urge Trump to join Israel in bombing Hezbollah sites in Lebanon. However, footage from the documentary indicates that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised against this course of action. In a phone call on March 4, Netanyahu cautioned Graham that escalating the conflict to include Hezbollah at that moment would be premature and counterproductive.
"We're concentrating right now on Iran," Netanyahu stated during the call. "If we tell Hezbollah that we're going all the way, we threaten them, but if we actually do it, then they have no reason not to go all the way against us. And right now, that's not in our interest."
The documentary, produced by filmmaker Alex Holder, captured other moments of Graham's engagement with the war efforts. This included his travel to meet Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to encourage Saudi involvement and his expressions of frustration with certain members of the Trump administration involved in the negotiations.
Graham voiced his difficulties working with Trump's special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, suggesting they were too conflicted. "I can't do it with Jared and I can't do it with Witkoff, they're just too conflicted," he said. Graham indicated that Senator Marco Rubio would be a more suitable choice for Secretary of State.
In a conversation with Jake Sullivan, national security advisor under President Joe Biden, Graham discussed the challenges he faced. During that discussion in March, Sullivan inquired about the projected duration of the war.
A spokesperson for the White House, addressing Graham's comments about Kushner and Witkoff, told the Wall Street Journal that the individuals were close friends and that Witkoff and Kushner were effective dealmakers.
