Graham: Assad is telling Trump ‘FU’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that Syrian President Bashar Assad was telling President Trump “FU” by resuming operations at an air base targeted by the U.S. military.

“Here’s what I think Assad’s telling Trump by flying from this base: ‘FU,’ ” Graham told host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“And I think he’s making a serious mistake. Because if you’re an adversary of the United States and you don’t worry about what Trump may do on any given day,” Graham continued.

{mosads}Assad reportedly used the air base on Friday, one day after it was hit by U.S. Tomahawk missiles. Graham said the Syrian leader intentionally did so to send a signal back to the U.S. commander in chief. 

Trump launched the strike in response to what the U.S. government believes was a Syrian-led chemical weapons attack on a northwestern Syrian town that killed dozens of civilians, including children.

The GOP lawmaker on Sunday defended the Trump administration’s decision to attack Syria, calling the Assad regime’s chemical weapons attack a “moral outrage.”

“This president’s setting in motion actual strategy to get rid of Assad. To the American people, the war never ends with Assad. He’s a recruiting gold mine for ISIL and al Qaeda,” Graham told Todd, using an alternate acronym for ISIS.

Graham said he wanted the White House to punish Russia for aiding the Syrian regime.

“The Russian soldiers on the base where this attack occurred, the Russians intentionally, in my view, left chemical weapons in the hand of Assad, their proxy,” Graham continued. “So if I were President Trump, I would go after Russia through sanctions not only for interfering in our elections, but aiding and abetting the use of chemical weapons by a war criminal, Assad.”

Todd also told Graham he’s the first to use the “FU” phrase on his show.