Yes. We need to vote on this. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from South Carolina.
Lindsey Graham
The Public Record
Lindsey Olin Graham is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham has been a prominent figure in national politics, known for his work on issues such as national security, foreign policy, and judicial appointments. He has played a key role in various legislative efforts and has been an outspoken advocate for military support to Ukraine in recent years.
I can assure you, I would not have done that if I had known this year in the President's budget they would be suspending the MOX program for a study.
We have an agreement with the Russians and now is not the time to break that agreement.
This concern that this is a buddy-buddy system, I just want the public to understand that the convening authority, particularly for general courts-martial that would involve a case of rape or some serious sexual assault, is a distance away…
I believe a new day is here, and all I ask is that when we find this new way forward, that we still preserve the ability of the system to judge every individual case based on the individual facts.
I do believe that if you are going to give a man or woman the power to send someone in battle and to literally go and die, that we should trust their judgment when it comes to disciplining that unit.
Let us find out what we need to resource that is not being resourced and make this a priority because I will end with this thought.
The enemies of this Nation have never faced a finer military force than exists today, and we have problems.
If women in the military--and men are victims too. But if you really believe that there is no place for you to go and you are being abused, that has to be the worst possible feeling in the world.
I want people to understand the convening authority cannot increase the sentence.
There is no city, there is no State, there is no county that is going to take it more serious than the men and women before you.
Is it the Navy's position that the convening authority should not have this power and it should be placed into someone else's hands?
But having said that, please do not mistake the push-back for an understanding that sexual assault in the military needs to be addressed and we need to improve upon the current system because what we have today is not working.
It makes no sense that a young American should put on the uniform and then sacrifice their constitutional rights.
The reason I bring that up is I want to make sure that people understand one case has to be put in terms of the whole system.
When 47 or 49 percent--I cannot remember the number--feel intimidated to come forward because they think they may face reprisal, something is obviously wrong.
Do all of you believe if you had had somebody in your corner, someone assigned to kind of help you through the system, an advocate, that that would have helped?
I think there are women out there that feel because of the particular facts and circumstances of their military service, their ability to get a piece of justice is limited.
I wish to bring the body's attention to a recent decision by the Obama administration to place the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, Mr. Abu Ghaith--I think I am pronouncing the name correctly--into Federal district court in New York charged…
If I could just have 2 minutes of wrapup, I will. To my fellow citizens, the chance of you being killed by a drone--because you go to a tea party rally or a moveon.org rally or any other political rally or you are just chatting on the…
If I can add, let me tell the Senator about imminent threat and military law. In Iraq we had disabled terrorist insurgents. There was a big debate in the Marine Corps because under military law when a lawful combatant, a person in uniform…
That is a very good point. I look forward to a discussion about how to deal with a drone program. It is just a tactical weapon. It is an air platform without a pilot. Now, if there is a truck going toward a military base or nuclear…





