Steve Bannon Says Lindsey Graham Is 'Slimiest' Member of the GOP

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has called South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham the "slimiest" member of the Republican Party for supporting U.S. military aide to Ukraine.

In a June 10 episode of his podcast, War Room, Bannon compared Graham to a "serpent" after the South Carolinian accused Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, from Alabama, of being an "outlier" in the GOP with regards to his views about Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions amid the invasion of Ukraine.

On June 5, Tuberville said on War Room that Putin would not invade other countries if Russia managed to take Ukraine. "He doesn't want Ukraine. He doesn't want Europe. Hell, he's got enough land of his own," Tuberville said. "He just wants to make sure that he does not have United States weapons in Ukraine pointing at Moscow." Tuberville also referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dictator."

Speaking to CBS News, Graham, who has long supported the U.S. sending military aide to Ukraine as it combats Russia's invasion, said Ukraine had $10 trillion to $12 trillion of "critical minerals." He added that if the U.S. continued to help Ukraine, the European country could "become the best business partner we ever dreamed of."

On his podcast, Bannon played a clip of Graham's remarks before criticizing the senator's "new argument" on why the U.S. should continue to provide military support to Ukraine.

"It's just like the illegal alien invasion of our country. You can't deport anybody because of the economy," Bannon said. "This is how the globalists think."

He continued: "Is Lindsey Graham not the slimiest of them? I think he's the slimiest, walking around like a serpent. See when he's in President Trump's ear, that poison he's putting in there. Is this an outlier of the Republican Party? No, it's pure MAGA. No more money for Ukraine."

Newsweek has contacted Graham's office for comment by email.

This is not the first time Bannon has lashed out at Graham. In April, he accused the senator of being a "poisonous serpent" after Graham criticized Ohio Senator J.D. Vance for speaking out against a bill to provide $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. President Joe Biden has since signed the bill into law.

"Lindsey Graham is a Poisonous Serpent That is Allowed to Get Near President Trump Spreading His Poison by Operatives Who are NOT America First," Bannon posted on the conservative social media site Gettr.

In his interview on CBS News, Graham was asked if the Republican Party agreed with the comments Tuberville made on Bannon's podcast, which anchor Margaret Brennan said echoed Russian talking points.

"He's an outlier, I think, in the Republican Party. I like him personally. But what did Trump do to get the weapons flowing? He created a loan system," Graham said.

"They're sitting on $10 to $12 trillion of critical minerals in Ukraine. They could be the richest country in all of Europe. I don't want to give that money and those assets to Putin to share with China. If we help Ukraine now, they can become the best business partner we ever dreamed of."

He added: "Let's help them win a war we can't afford to lose. Let's find a solution to this war. But they're sitting on a gold mine. To give Putin $10 or $12 trillion of critical minerals that he will share with China is ridiculous."

In 2022, Bannon was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress after failing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He has been sentenced to four months in prison and must surrender to authorities by July 1.

On Tuesday, the former Trump adviser asked a court to keep him out of prison while he appeals the conviction.

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