The Hill: Bannon: Graham should be arrested if he keeps ‘stirring it up’ in Ukraine

[mystery-ak]

 Bannon: Graham should be arrested if he keeps ‘stirring it up’ in Ukraine
by Alexander Bolton - 06/02/25 2:04 PM ET

MAGA insider and former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said Monday that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Kyiv’s strongest backers in Congress, should be “arrested” if he doesn’t stop traveling overseas and “stirring it up” in Ukraine.

Bannon expressed his frustration over Ukraine’s stunning drone attack on Russia’s strategic bombing fleet, which destroyed 40 aircraft deep inside Russian territory, giving Ukrainian forces a potential morale boost.

Bannon said the White House should condemn the military strike and crack down on Graham’s diplomacy. The senator applauded Ukraine’s resourcefulness in pulling off a successful attack Sunday.

“The White House has to condemn this immediately and pull all support and tell Lindsey Graham to come home or we are going to put you under arrest when you come home. You’re stirring it up,” Bannon said Monday on his “War Room” podcast.

He accused Graham, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, of working behind President Trump’s back.

“Lindsey Graham’s over there saying, ‘Hey, forget Trump. I got the House and the Senate. We’re going to pass it. You’re going to see something in a couple of days,’” Bannon said, referring to legislation Graham has sponsored to sanction Russia and countries that buy its products.

“He’s stirring it up over there,” he said.

more
https://thehill.com/homenews/5329011-bannon-arrest-graham-ukraine/

[Timber Rattler]

So Steve is actually upset that the Russians lost a bunch of their strategic bombers?  Really?

[Hoodat]

So Steve is actually upset that the Russians lost a bunch of their strategic bombers?  Really?

Apparently so.  And he's placing the blame on some Senator from South Carolina.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

So Steve is actually upset that the Russians lost a bunch of their strategic bombers?  Really?

I like Steve, frankly, but he's way off base here.

[MeganC]

So Steve is actually upset that the Russians lost a bunch of their strategic bombers?  Really?

Yup. Stevie Boy is out there shilling for Russia.

[Right_in_Virginia]

This is what has pissed off Bannon:

"Lindsey Graham’s over there saying, ‘Hey, forget Trump. I got the House and the Senate. We’re going to pass it. You’re going to see something in a couple of days,’” Bannon said, referring to legislation Graham has sponsored to sanction Russia and countries that buy its products.

[DB]

I like Steve, frankly, but he's way off base here.

Steve has been "way off base" on many other issues too.

[Hoodat]

This is what has pissed off Bannon:

"Lindsey Graham’s over there saying, ‘Hey, forget Trump. I got the House and the Senate. We’re going to pass it. You’re going to see something in a couple of days,’” Bannon said, referring to legislation Graham has sponsored to sanction Russia and countries that buy its products.

Let's say for a moment that this is true.  Let's say that Graham was running his mouth along with a certain Democrat Senator that Bannon chooses to ignore.  So what?  Is he (or you for that matter) trying to make the case that Graham spouting out drivel like that caused Ukraine to suddenly launch an attack that had been in the making for 18 months?

Geez.  This is what happens when people blurt out the first thing that pops in their heads without bothering to consider the idiocy of what they are about to say.  You want to know what 'stirs up' Ukraine?  This does:

Dnipro

[mountaineer]

Ron Paul
@RonPaul
Just hours before a massive Ukrainian operation targeting Russian strategic bombers deep inside Russia, Senator Lindsey Graham and his colleague Sen. Richard Blumenthal were in Kiev again urging Ukraine to keep fighting.
As President Trump has repeatedly stated that his policy is to end that war, why is a US Senator undermining official US foreign policy...and how involved was he (and other neocons in the Administration) in the Sunday attacks?

https://twitter.com/RonPaul/status/1929639958236590358

[Right_in_Virginia]

Let's say for a moment that this is true.  Let's say that Graham was running his mouth along with a certain Democrat Senator that Bannon chooses to ignore.  So what?  Is he (or you for that matter) trying to make the case that Graham spouting out drivel like that caused Ukraine to suddenly launch an attack that had been in the making for 18 months?

Geez.  This is what happens when people blurt out the first thing that pops in their heads without bothering to consider the idiocy of what they are about to say. 

Get a hold of yourself, drama queen. ---  It's the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments on behalf of the U.S. This applies to individuals, including senators, who are not acting under official government authority.

Ron Paul
@RonPaul

Just hours before a massive Ukrainian operation targeting Russian strategic bombers deep inside Russia, Senator Lindsey Graham and his colleague Sen. Richard Blumenthal were in Kiev again urging Ukraine to keep fighting.

As President Trump has repeatedly stated that his policy is to end that war, why is a US Senator undermining official US foreign policy...and how involved was he (and other neocons in the Administration) in the Sunday attacks?

https://twitter.com/RonPaul/status/1929639958236590358

[Right_in_Virginia]

You want to know what stirs up Ukraine?  This does:

Dnipro

Reminds me of Gaza:

[DefiantMassRINO]

Ukraine is an independent nation that has a right to defend itself from a hostile invader, Bannon be damned.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Ukraine is an independent nation that has a right to defend itself from a hostile invader

Now, so does Russia. 

See how stupid war games are?

[MeganC]

Now, so does Russia. 

See how stupid war games are?

Then tell your Russian friends to quit their damned war now that it's turning around on them. 

[DefiantMassRINO]

I haven't seen Ukrainian tanks rolling down the streets of Rostov-on-Don.

Traditional Russian Scheme for Territorial Acquisition:

1.) Claim that it's already Russian territory.
2.) Claim the current inhabitants are "invaders".
3.) Begin a program of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
4.) Move in ethnic Russians to Russify the newly conquered territory.
5.) Lather, rinse, repeat.

Tried and true by Czars and Stalin alike.

Now, so does Russia. 

See how stupid war games are?

[Right_in_Virginia]

Then tell your Russian friends to quit their damned war now that it's turning around on them. 

All you've done is to give Russia the excuse for lobbing a handful of tactical nukes.  Keep playing stupid games, keep winning stupid prizes.  If your dream is to kill all Ukrainians, your war plan may finally be on track.

[DefiantMassRINO]

It was Stalin's goal to kill all Ukrainians and russify their former lands.
Czars did the same to the Circassians during conquest of the Caucasus region.

The only man killing Ukrainians is Putin.  Putin is also sacrificing Iranians and North Koreans as cannon fodder.

All you've done is to give Russia the excuse for lobbing a handful of tactical nukes.  Keep playing stupid games, keep winning stupid prizes.  If your dream is to kill all Ukrainians, your war plan may finally be on track.

[Right_in_Virginia]

The only man killing Ukrainians is Putin. 

Where does your incessant drumbeat for more war fit into this ⬆️ announcement?

[DefiantMassRINO]

Putin could stop this war at anytime by leaving territories within the 1991 borders of Ukraine, including Crimea.

Putin is the only one who wanted war.  Putin is the only one who started a war.  Putin is the only one threatening nuclear escalation.  Putin's aggression is the only reason neutral Findland and Sweden rushed to join NATO.

Putin wasn't the only one who overestimated the Russian military and underestimated the resolve and innovation with which Ukraine would defend itself.

[Timber Rattler]

Now, so does Russia. 

See how stupid war games are?

So who invaded Russia?

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

All you've done is to give Russia the excuse for lobbing a handful of tactical nukes.  Keep playing stupid games, keep winning stupid prizes.  If your dream is to kill all Ukrainians, your war plan may finally be on track.

That would just be Putin committing suicide. Russia is a bunch of weaklings...

[berdie]

So who invaded Russia?

I wondered that myself. I thought I may have missed something in most current conflict. Last person I know of that invaded Russia was Napoleon.

[mountaineer]

Sarah Fields
@SarahisCensored
$411,634.00 for Lindsey Graham to stay in a hotel in Ukraine.
3:37 PM · Jun 3, 2025

[Timber Rattler]

Sarah Fields
@SarahisCensored
$411,634.00 for Lindsey Graham to stay in a hotel in Ukraine.
3:37 PM · Jun 3, 2025

Seems to me that somebody ought to take that up with Marco Rubio.  It's out of his budget.

[Hoodat]

Get a hold of yourself, drama queen. ---  It's the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments on behalf of the U.S. .  .

.  .  .  which Graham did not do.

[Hoodat]

Reminds me of Gaza:

The only difference here is that Ukrainians aren't targeting Israeli Russian civilians with missiles fired from these buildings.  But then you knew that already.

[Hoodat]

All you've done is to give Russia the excuse for lobbing a handful of tactical nukes.

Still peddling that same old lie, I see.  Is there anything Ukraine has done that hasn't given Russia an excuse to start a nuclear war?  Seriously.

Russia started this war.  Not Ukraine.  Not the US.  Not France.  Not Germany.  Not Poland.  Not Estonia.  But Russia and Russia alone.  They are the aggressors.  They are the ones who crossed a sovereign border to topple another country to expand their empire.  Did Ukraine give them an excuse for that?  Hell no, they didn't.  Russia just did it because they wanted Ukraine.  Their actions are theirs and theirs alone.  If they choose to fire short range ballistic missiles at Ukrainian civilians, they'll do so.  If they choose to execute POWs in violation of every known convention of war, they'll do it.  If they choose to execute civilians in the streets and leave their corpses littering the road, they'll do it.  If they choose to raze entire cities, wiping out entire Ukrainian and Russian speaking communities, they'll do so.  If Russia chooses to continue this war as they approach 1 million casualties, then that is the choice they will make.  This is 100% Russia's choice.  Ukraine didn't have a damn thing to do with it.

The moment Russia seeks peace, there will be peace.  Until then, Russia will continue to wage it's racist war against Ukraine.

[Right_in_Virginia]

.  .  .  which Graham did not do.

Yes, he did.

[Hoodat]

[Hoodat]

Yes, he did.

How so?  Explain how Graham violated the Logan Act.   Show me where he negotiated with the Ukrainian government on behalf of the United States.  Please be specific.

[Right_in_Virginia]

The only difference here is that Ukrainians aren't targeting Israeli Russian civilians with missiles fired from these buildings.  But then you knew that already.

My point is there is no difference between the two photos ...  each shows the destruction of civilian homes and lives by military rocket sttacks --- one perpetrated by Israel and the other by Russia.

.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Putin is the only one who wanted war. 

Actually, neither Putin nor Zelensky really wanted this war ... Both men wanted to meet at the negotiationing table before the first shots were fired. Western Europe, led by Boris Johnson, shut down the talks ---  making both the war inevitable and Lindsey Graham (who'd started planning this war with John McCain in 2014) orgasmic with joy.

[Hoodat]

My point is there is no difference between the two photos ...

That would be dishonest since there is indeed a difference.

each shows the destruction of civilian homes and lives by military rocket sttacks --- one perpetrated by Israel and the other by Russia.

One shows destruction launched by Russia from hundreds of miles away that intentionally targets Ukrainian civilians.  The other shows destruction launched by Israel from 25 miles away that intentionally targets Hamas militants hiding amongst civilians while launching attacks at Israeli civilians.

[Hoodat]

Actually, neither Putin nor Zelensky really wanted this war ...

Putin wanted it.  That's why he started it.

Both men wanted to meet at the negotiationing table before the first shots were fired.

Uh, no.  Putin launched his war on Ukraine five years and two months before Zelenskiy became President.

Western Europe, led by Boris Johnson, shut down the talks ---

Uh, no.  Boris Johnson didn't become Prime Minister until five years and six months after Putin invaded.

  making both the war inevitable

It was Putin's decision to invade Ukraine that made war inevitable.

and Lindsey Graham (who'd started planning this war with John McCain in 2014) orgasmic with joy.

That's really beautiful and all.  But it doesn't answer the question.  Again, explain how Graham violated the Logan Act.   Show me where he negotiated with the Ukrainian government on behalf of the United States.  Please be specific.

[DB]

For all we know Trump sent him there.

[Timber Rattler]

For all we know Trump sent him there.

I was thinking the same thing, considering that they're golf buddies. 

[Timber Rattler]

Actually, neither Putin nor Zelensky really wanted this war ... Both men wanted to meet at the negotiationing table before the first shots were fired. Western Europe, led by Boris Johnson, shut down the talks ---  making both the war inevitable and Lindsey Graham (who'd started planning this war with John McCain in 2014) orgasmic with joy.

Total lie.

[Mod2]

Please comment on the subject matter of the thread, and refrain from personal attacks on other members. Thank you.

[Timber Rattler]

Amazing we allow this worthless Putin apologist on this forum.

Hamas and Iranian apologist too.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Amazing we allow this worthless Putin apologist on this forum.

Actually, @Weird Tolkienish Figure , it's amazing so many don't know the conflict in Ukraine started in full force in 2014 and that it would not have been possible then or now without our direct and persistent involvement.  The West wanted and plotted this proxy war with Russia.  Acknowledging this does not translate into Putin, or Zelensky, for that matter, being a devil or a saint.

IMO,  the world's current armed conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have the potential for global escalation, including nuclear weapons. But, de-escalation and ultimately peace, require a full, honest brokering and for reasons unknown to me this appears to be an impossiblity.

My hope is the collective "we" can start a conversation about all of this with the words: 'there are no good guys".

[MeganC]

Get a hold of yourself, drama queen. ---  It's the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments on behalf of the U.S. This applies to individuals, including senators, who are not acting under official government authority.

Get a hold of yourself drama queen. The Logan Act does not apply to anyone merely uttering an opinion contrary to an official narrative.

Even a RINO like Graham is entitled to express his opinion even when President Trump doesn't like it.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Get a hold of yourself drama queen. The Logan Act does not apply to anyone merely uttering an opinion contrary to an official narrative.

If this ⬆️ is all Graham did, then I agree with you.  But, telling Ukraine officials to ignore Trump because he (Graham) has the Congress seems like crossing into the Logan Act. 

[Hoodat]

Total lie.

It's what she does.

[Hoodat]

Actually, @Weird Tolkienish Figure , it's amazing so many don't know the conflict in Ukraine started in full force in 2014  .  .  .

.  .  .  when Putin decided to invade Ukraine.

The West wanted and plotted this proxy war with Russia.

In 2014?  This right here shows the pitfalls of making up crap on the fly.

My hope is the collective "we" can start a conversation about all of this with the words: 'there are no good guys".

My hope is that the instigator, cause, belligerent, and continued wager of this war can be convinced to break off his genocide against a people he openly describes as "nothing more than criminals and drug addicts".  This war ends the day that Putin decides he's had enough.

Oh, and you still haven't answered the question.  How did Lindsey Graham violate the Logan Act?   Show me where he negotiated with the Ukrainian government on behalf of the United States.  Please be specific.

[Right_in_Virginia]

The only man killing Ukrainians is Putin. 

Please don't underestimate the contributions the Western powers have made to this effort. 

"Fighting to the last Ukrainian" is more than a meme.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Actually, neither Putin nor Zelensky really wanted this war ... Both men wanted to meet at the negotiationing table before the first shots were fired. Western Europe, led by Boris Johnson, shut down the talks ---  making both the war inevitable and Lindsey Graham (who'd started planning this war with John McCain in 2014) orgasmic with joy.

August 2014:

https://youtu.be/z9tcmpbcIj8?si=v20IX8tmmse-o3gJ

[Right_in_Virginia]

August 2014:

https://youtu.be/z9tcmpbcIj8?si=v20IX8tmmse-o3gJ

[...]

Neither the domestic opposition nor Washington and its European Union allies behaved in that fashion. Instead, Western leaders made it clear that they supported the efforts of demonstrators to force Yanukovych to reverse course and approve the EU agreement or, if he would not do so, to remove the president before his term expired. Sen. John McCain (R‑AZ), the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, went to Kiev to show solidarity with the Euromaidan activists. McCain dined with opposition leaders, including members of the ultra right-wing Svoboda Party, and later appeared on stage in Maidan Square during a mass rally. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Svoboda leader Oleg Tyagnibok.

But McCain’s actions were a model of diplomatic restraint compared to the conduct of Victoria Nuland, the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs. As Ukraine’s political crisis deepened, Nuland and her subordinates became more brazen in favoring the anti-Yanukovych demonstrators. Nuland noted in a speech to the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation on December 13, 2013, that she had traveled to Ukraine three times in the weeks following the start of the demonstrations. Visiting the Maidan on December 5, she handed out cookies to demonstrators and expressed support for their cause.

The extent of the Obama administration’s meddling in Ukraine’s politics was breathtaking. Russian intelligence intercepted and leaked to the international media a Nuland telephone call in which she and U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Geoffey Pyatt discussed in detail their preferences for specific personnel in a post-Yanukovych government. The U.S‑favored candidates included Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the man who became prime minister once Yanukovych was ousted from power. During the telephone call, Nuland stated enthusiastically that “Yats is the guy” who would do the best job.

Nuland and Pyatt were engaged in such planning at a time when Yanukovych was still Ukraine’s lawful president. It was startling to have diplomatic representatives of a foreign country—and a country that routinely touts the need to respect democratic processes and the sovereignty of other nations—to be scheming about removing an elected government and replacing it with officials meriting U.S. approval.

Washington’s conduct not only constituted meddling, it bordered on micromanagement. At one point, Pyatt mentioned the complex dynamic among the three principal opposition leaders, Yatsenyuk, Oleh Tyahnybok, and Vitali Klitschko. Both Pyatt and Nuland wanted to keep Tyahnybok and Klitschko out of an interim government. In the former case, they worried about his extremist ties; in the latter, they seemed to want him to wait and make a bid for office on a longer-term basis. Nuland stated that “I don’t think Klitsch should go into the government. I don’t think it’s necessary.” She added that what Yatseniuk needed “is Klitsch and Tyanhybok on the outside.”

The two diplomats also were prepared to escalate the already extensive U.S. involvement in Ukraine’s political turbulence. Pyatt stated bluntly that “we want to try to get somebody with an international personality to come out here and help to midwife this thing [the political transition].” Nuland clearly had Vice President Joe Biden in mind for that role. Noting that the vice president’s national security adviser was in direct contact with her, Nuland related that she told him “probably tomorrow for an atta-boy and to get the details to stick. So Biden’s willing.”

Both the Obama administration and most of the American news media portrayed the Euromaidan Revolution as a spontaneous, popular uprising against a corrupt and brutal government.

A February 24, 2014, Washington Post editorial celebrated the Maidan demonstrators and their successful campaign to overthrow Yanukovych. The “moves were democratic,” the Washington Post concluded, and “Kiev is now controlled by pro-Western parties.”

It was a grotesque distortion to portray the events in Ukraine as a purely indigenous, popular uprising. The Nuland-Pyatt telephone conversation and other actions confirm that the United States was considerably more than a passive observer to the turbulence. Instead, U.S. officials were blatantly meddling in Ukraine. Such conduct was utterly improper. The United States had no right to try to orchestrate political outcomes in another country—especially one on the border of another great power. It is no wonder that Russia reacted badly to the unconstitutional ouster of an elected, pro-Russian government—an ouster that occurred not only with Washington’s blessing, but apparently with its assistance.

More:  https://www.cato.org/commentary/americas-ukraine-hypocrisy

[Right_in_Virginia]

McCain 2014:

  https://youtu.be/93eyhO8VTdg?si=xp1KTB8CpmUVznAI

[corbe]

   Trump 2024:

"IF I WERE PRESIDENT, THE RUSSIA/UKRAINE WAR WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED, BUT EVEN NOW, IF PRESIDENT, I WOULD BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE AN END TO THIS HORRIBLE AND RAPIDLY ESCALATING WAR WITHIN 24 HOURS," wrote Trump. "SUCH A TRAGIC WASTE OF HUMAN LIFE!!!"

[Fishrrman]

Getting tired of all the Ukraine squabbling here.

If there is no negotiated agreement, things will drag on until Putin/Russia has had enough and uses a tactical-sized nuke on Kiev. That ought to end things pretty quickly.

Things won't go well for Russia in the court of "world opinion" afterwards, but that and $3 will buy you a medium-sized coffee at Dunkin' these days.

Sorry if you don't like this post.