Joy Behar on Graham statement: ‘You don’t think that Putin could use that as propaganda?’

“The View” co-host Joy Behar raised concerns that Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) call to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin could be used by Putin as propaganda.

During a Friday segment on the show, “The View” played a clip of Graham’s remarks in an interview with Fox News, in which the senator called for someone to assassinate the Russian president.

“How does this end? Somebody in Russia has to step up to the plate. Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?” Graham said. “The only way this ends, my friend, is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country a great service and the world a great service.”

Behar said that the comments were confusing and asked the other co-hosts whether he was referring to assassinating Putin or if “someone should just take him down.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” co-host Sara Haines replied.

Behar said that some people were calling for Graham’s resignation following his comments, asking the co-hosts how they thought it would end.

“I don’t think anybody knows where it ends right now. … Look, first of all, who cares what Lindsey says, right?” guest co-host Ana Navarro-Cárdenas asked.

“He’s a United States senator,” Behar interjected.

“Yeah, but you think any Russian general is going to be listening to what Lindsey Graham has said on Fox News?”

“What, you don’t think that Putin could use that as propaganda?” Behar asked.

Several Republicans have also slammed Graham’s remarks, calling it “an exceptionally bad idea” and “unhinged.”

But Graham defended his comments in an interview with Fox News on Friday morning, and a spokesperson for the senator told The Hill that the other lawmakers were entitled to their opinions.

“The Russian people are not our enemy. I’m convinced it’s a one-man problem surrounded by a few people,” Graham said in response to a question asking him to expand on his statements.

“But the best way for this to end is having Eliot Ness or Wyatt Earp in Russia — the ‘Russian Spring’ so to speak — where people rise up and take him down because if he continues to be their leader, then he’s going to make you complicit with war crimes,” the senator added.