MARIA: WELCOME BACK.

A LOT OF BREAKING NEWS THIS

MORNING.

IRAQ'S PARLIAMENT MOMENTS AGO

VOTING TO END THE PRESENCE OF

ALL FOREIGN FORCES IN THE

COUNTRY.

THEIR OUTGOING PRIME MINISTER

SAY IT WOULD BE THE QUOTE, BEST

OPTION TO ESTABLISH A STRONG

RELATIONSHIP WITH AMERICA AND

OTHER NATIONS.

MEANWHILE THE WHITE HOUSE THIS

WEEKEND FORMALLY NOTIFYING

CONGRESS ABOUT THE STRIKE THAT

TOOK OUT IRAN'S TOP MILITARY

COMMANDER SOLEIMANI.

JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS

REPUBLICAN SENATOR LINDSEY

GRAHAM, CHAIRMAN OF SENATE

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.

MEMBER OF THE FOREIGN RELATIONS

COMMITTEE.

VERY GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS

MORNING.

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING ME.

>> GOOD MORNING.

MARIA: YOUR REACTION TO THE

LATEST VOTE OUT OF COMING OUT OF

IRAN, IRAQ RATHER, TO REMOVE ALL

FOREIGN TROOPS?

>> WELL IT'S A BIT CONCERNING.

I HOPE ALL THE IRANIANS WOULD

LEAVE.

HERE'S THE POINT.

THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT IS TRYING

TO BASICALLY TAKE OVER IRAQ'S

POLITICAL SYSTEM.

IRAN IS BRIBING IRAQI

POLITICIANS, TO THE IRAQI

PEOPLE, DO NOT ALLOW YOUR

POLITICIANS TO TURN IRAQ INTO A

PROXY OF IRAN.

I GOT TO READ THE DETAILS OF

THIS RESOLUTION.

BUT HERE'S WHAT WOULD SERVE THE

WORLD WELL, IF PRESIDENT TRUMP

LAID OUT WHAT HE WANTS IRAN TO

DO TO RELIEF SANCTIONS.

I THINK THIS HAS BEEN DONE

BEFORE BUT NOW IS THE TIME FOR

THE PRESIDENT TO TELL THE WORLD,

WHAT WE WOULD LIKE IRAN TO DO,

TO GET BACK TO A NORMAL

RELATIONSHIP.

HERE IS MY BELIEF.

IT IS NOT UNREASONABLE.

WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO STOP BEING

THE LARGEST STATE SPONSOR OF

TERRORISM, STOP DISMEMBERING THE

MIDDLE EAST, STOP BUILDING

ROCKETS AND MISSILES THAT COULD

DESTROY THE REGION AND

EVENTUALLY THE UNITED STATES,

STOP BEING SO PROVOCATIVE.

I WISH THE PRESIDENT WOULD TELL

THE IRANIANS, HERE IS EXACTLY

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR THE

SANCTIONS TO BE LIFTED AND ALLOW

THEM TO MAKE A DECISION BASED ON

A WAY FORWARD THAT IS GOOD FOR

THEM AND THE REGION AND SEE WHAT

THEY WOULD DO.

MARIA: SENATOR, THE PRESIDENT

KEEPS SAYING, AND SECRETARY OF

STATE MIKE POMPEO, THAT THEY

DON'T NECESSARILY WANT REGIME

CHANGE BUT CAN YOU REALLY DO THE

THINGS THAT YOU'RE TALKING

ABOUT, CHANGE BEHAVIORS WITHOUT

A REGIME CHANGE AND HOW DO YOU

ESTABLISH A REGIME CHANGE

WITHOUT AN ACTUAL INVASION?

>> WELL, NOBODY IS GOING TO

INVADE IRAN.

YOU DON'T NEED ONE AMERICAN

TROOP SOLDIER ON THE GROUND TO

ACHIEVE WHAT I'M TRYING TO

ACHIEVE.

EVERYBODY WANT THE REGIME TO

CHANGE.

YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO

WANT IT TO STAY THE SAME.

IT IS THE LARGEST STATE SPONSOR

OF TERRORISM.

IT THREATENS THE EXIST LENS OF

ISRAEL.

SUPPORTS HEZBOLLAH WITH ROCKETS

AND MISSILES TO DESTROY ISRAEL.

THEY HAVE GOT AMERICAN BLOOD ON

THEIR HANDS, IRAQI BLOOD, SYRIAN

BLOOD.

EVERYBODY WANTS THEM TO CHANGE

BUT HERE'S WHAT IS MISSING.

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR THEM TO

CHANGE?

WHAT KIND OF CHANGE DO WE WANT?

LAY IT OUT, LET THE WORLD KNOW

WE'RE REASONABLE.

IF THEY DON'T ACCEPT THE OFFER

TO CHANGE, THEN YOU KNOW YOU'VE

GOT VERY LIMITED CHOICES WHEN IT

COMES TO IRAN.

I DON'T THINK THEY WILL CHANGE.

I HOPE THE IRAQI -- EXCUSE ME

THE IRANIAN PEOPLE TAKE THE

GOVERNMENT BACK FROM THE

AYATOLLAH.

THAT IS THE ULTIMATE CHANGE.

MARIA: THE PROCESS OF TAKING

THIS GUY DOWN, IT HAS BEEN A

DECADE WHERE HE HAS BEEN DEEMED

A TERRORIST AND NOTHING WAS

DONE.

>> RIGHT.

MARIA: THE FACT HE WAS TAKEN OUT

ON A ROAD ROUTE IRISH, WHERE I'M

TOLD BY MILITARY PEOPLE THAT

THERE IS A LOT OF BLOOD ON THAT

ROAD.

THERE WERE IRANIAN IEDs ON

THAT ROAD WHICH KILLED

SERVICEMEN AND LEADERSHIP IN

THIS COUNTRY.

>> YES.

MARIA: SO TELL ME, WHAT YOU

THINK ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OFO

THINK ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OFF

TAKING HIM DOWN WHERE HE WAS

TAKEN DOWN IN IRAQ, NEAR THE

BAGHDAD AIRPORT?

>> WELL PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS

REALLY CHANGED THE EQUATION

HERE.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY

LIFETIME THE IRANIANS ARE

WORRIED ABOUT THE AMERICANS.

USED TO BE WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT

THE IRANIANS EXCLUSIVELY.

THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH

DONALD TRUMP.

THE KILLED WE KILLED THIS GUY ON

ROUTE IRIS, IS A BIG DEAL.

I'VE BEEN IN UP-ARMORED VEHICLES

AS RESERVIST.

IT IS DANGEROUS PLACE.

IT WAS TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY FOR

IRANIAN BACKED MILITIAS.

HE MET HIS DEATH ON A ROSE TO

USE AMERICANS.

HERE IS THE POINT.

MAXIMUM PRESSURE CAMPAIGN IS

WORKING.

THE ECONOMY IS IN THE TOILET.

OBAMA TRIED TO GET THEM TO

CHANGE GIVING THEM A BUNCH OF

MONEY AND NUCLEAR DEAL.

THAT DIDN'T WORK.

TRUMP IS TRYING TO GET THEM TO

CHANGE THROUGH A MAXIMUM

PRESSURE CAMPAIGN.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED IN THE LAST

48 HOURS?

THE MAXIMUM PRESSURE CAMPAIGN

HAS A MILITARY COMPONENT.

IF IRANIANS HIT AMERICAN TARGETS

AND AMERICAN INTERESTS AND

AMERICAN ALLIES WE WILL RESPOND

MILITARILY.

IF THEY HIT US AGAIN, THEN I

WOULD NOT WANT, I WOULD NOT WANT

TO BE WORKING AN IRANIAN OIL

FIELD BECAUSE I THINK THE

PRESIDENT IS DETERMINED TO BRING

THIS REGIME TO ITS KNEES IF THEY

CONTINUE TO BE PROVOCATIVE.

MARIA: WHEN THE PRESIDENT SAID

THOSE 52 TARGETS, YOU GOT TO

BELIEVE ONE OF THEM OR SOME OF

THEM ARE OIL FACILITIES FOR

SURE.

WE HAVE A LOT TO GET TO WITH

YOU.

I WANT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE

UPCOMING IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.

THERE IS LOT OF PUSHBACK ON THE

MOVE FROM CRITICS ALEXANDRIA

OCASIO-CORTEZ.

I READ HER TWEET EARLIER TO THE

SECRETARY.

TO COLIN KAEPERNICK SENATOR.

KAEPERNICK WRITES THERE IS

NOTHING NEW ABOUT AMERICAN

TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST BLACK

AND BROWN PEOPLE FOR EXPANSION

OF AMERICAN I AM PEOPLISM.

YOUR RESPONSE?

>> HE IS A LOSER ON AND OFF THE

FIELD.

HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT THE IRANIAN

REGIME HAS DONE FOR THE REGION.

HE HAS NO IDEA THEY HAVE 600

AMERICAN DEATHS OF IEDs MADE

IN IRAN, USED IN IRAQ.

IT IS UN-AMERICAN.

HE IS A RACIST.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR RACISM IN

AMERICA, MR. KAEPERNICK.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

YOUR COUNTRY IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

IT IS IRANIANS YOU'RE SO BLINDED

BY YOUR HATRED OF TRUMP YOU

CAN'T SEE THE DIFFERENCE WHO WE

ARE AND WHO THE AYATOLLAH IS.

PRETTY SAD.

MARIA: SO YOU DON'T BELIEVE

CONGRESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN SPOKEN

TO FIRST BEFORE THIS STRIKE?

THE PRESIDENT WAS OBVIOUSLY

RESPONDING TO ATTACKS, WHAT IS

YOUR TAKE IN TERMS OF CONGRESS.

>> RIGHT.

I'VE BEEN A MILITARY LAWYER FOR

33 YEARS.

THESE TROOPS ARE IN THE FIELD AT

THE DIRECTION OF THE

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF WITH THE

SUPPORT OF THE CONGRESS.

YOU DO NOT NEED CONGRESSIONAL

AUTHORIZATION TO DEFEND TROOPS

IN THE FIELD IN HARM'S WAY.

AOC DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT

THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT

OBVIOUSLY.

EVERY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF HAS THE

RIGHT TO DEFEND OUR PEOPLE ON

THE BATTLEFIELD.

IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT THIS WAS

A DEFENSIVE STRIKE.

THAT MR. SOLEIMANI WAS PLANNING

ADDITIONAL ATTACKS AGAINST

AMERICAN INTERESTS.

AOC'S WORLD I GUESS WE'RE

SUPPOSED TO SIT BACK AND WATCH A

BUNCH OF AMERICANS GET KILLED.

WE'RE NOT THE BAD GUYS.