Lindsey Graham: My Time Working At A Bar Taught Me ‘Iranians Are Liars’ (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Likely presidential candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Friday that he learned how to spot liars as a kid, and these days, Iranians don’t pass his smell test.

“Everything I know about the Iranians I learned in the pool room,” Graham said, during a video address to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, referencing his time working in a bar.

“I ran the pool room when I was a kid and I met a lot of liars, and I know the Iranians are liars,” he added.

Later on, Graham criticized the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran and got more specific, attacking the Iranian “regime.”

“The Iranians cheat and they lie. They are a radical regime,” he said. “They want a master religion for the world; the Nazis wanted a master race.”

On Sunday, the National Iranian-American Council slammed Graham for his “racist, anti-Iranian remarks,” demanded an apology, and posted a petition calling for the senator to retract the comment.

Graham made headlines earlier this month for other remarks on national security; at an AIPAC dinner he said that “everything that starts with ‘al’ in the Middle East is bad news,” referencing the Arabic word for “the.”

Later in the month, he laughed as he told Iowa Republicans that he would drone any American who thought about joining the Islamic State, mocking the idea of “calling a judge.”

“Next time you vote for President of the United States,” Graham said on Friday, “make sure that you’re voting for a commander-in-chief that knows what the hell they’re doing.”

Watch Graham’s address below, at the 2:00 mark:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Looks like someone isn’t in the top 10 polling nationally. Time to ratchet up the saber rattling and racist rhetoric and see if that creates a bump.

  2. Avatar for jinnj jinnj says:

    “Next time you vote for President of the United States, make sure that you’re voting for a commander-in-chief that knows what the hell they’re doing.” and with that - Graham eliminated the entire GOP field including himself!

  3. Guess what, I’ve learned from reading the news that all Republicans are liars too. What a coincidence.

  4. Iranians don’t pass his smell test.

    It’s TRUE. NoT ONLY do THEy LIe, THEY ALso SMELL. FOreIGNErs!!1!!1!!one!!1!!!

  5. “Everything I know about the Iranians I learned in the pool room”

    Our search is over! Hand this man “the football” and world peace is all but a foregone conclusion!!!

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

81 more replies

Participants

Avatar for george_c Avatar for slbinva Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for bluestatedon Avatar for chammy Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for sandyh Avatar for sniffit Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for borisjimbo Avatar for richardnixonhuberthumphrey Avatar for leeks Avatar for chadingo Avatar for 538liberal Avatar for kitty Avatar for exspectator Avatar for dickweed Avatar for jcblues Avatar for azjude Avatar for darrtown Avatar for jinnj Avatar for antisachetdethe

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: