GOP lawmaker twists himself in knots to defend Trump’s Iran threat

Facing questions from CNN’s John Berman about President Donald Trump’s Tuesday morning threat to destroy the “whole civilization” of Iran, Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) seemed to both contradict and agree with the president’s willingness to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure — an action many have warned could constitute war crimes.

Asked by Berman about whether he supported Trump’s threat, Lawler hedged, saying, “If you look at the president's statement, he doesn't want to do that. He doesn't want to be in a position to have to take that action. Ultimately, you have to take necessary action to curtail their capabilities, so the president is putting on the table taking action against their energy facilities, against their infrastructure, because that will cripple the regime.”

While Trump’s latest post had made no references to power plants or bridges as in his previous posts, the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.

Berman continued to press Lawler on the specifics of Trump’s post: “The new threat from the president is that a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. You say the president doesn't want to do it. Does being reluctant to end a civilization make it okay?”

“I don't think we're talking about ending a civilization,” said Lawler. “It is their energy infrastructure and their civilian infrastructure, including roads and bridges, that will cripple the Iranian regime and certainly their economy. That is not something we want to do because we are not at war with the Iranian people. We want them to be free from this oppression and tyranny that they have lived under for 47 years. But if the president has to take necessary action to strike their energy and infrastructure that is going to cripple the regime, that is what he is talking about.”

Berman continued to push the issue of whether Lawler believed Trump’s threat, asking again, “You don't take him at his word that he will end a whole civilization?”

“He is talking about the energy and civilian infrastructure,” repeated Lawler. “That's what he's talking about.”

“He says, ‘Never to be brought back again,'” Berman emphasized.

“He just means the bridges and the infrastructure,” said Lawler. “He's not talking about obliterating innocent people. John, you're you are parsing here. The fact is we're talking about energy and civilian infrastructure.

“I’m not parsing,” noted Berman. “I’m quoting.”

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