共和党参议员林赛·格雷厄姆说，由于对乌克兰即将遭受入侵的担忧持续存在，国会应该向俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京发出更强烈的信号。

在“本周”节目中，主播乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯周日问格雷厄姆，他是否相信普京会入侵邻近的波罗的海国家。

格雷厄姆回答说:“不，我没有，但我相信我们可以在国会做得更多，也应该做得更多。

参议院通过一项全面的两党制裁法案的前景已经停滞，格雷厄姆说，白宫“继续推动”国会正在考虑的入侵前和入侵后制裁。

斯特凡诺普洛斯接着说:“你是说总统正在反击，但你也有一些来自参议院共和党同事的反对?”

“是的，但不是以一种真实的、有意义的方式。该机构有70票赞成入侵制裁，入侵前有弃权的制裁，入侵后的制裁，”格雷厄姆回应道。“所以，问题已经被二次制裁了。仅仅制裁一家俄罗斯银行是不够的。你想制裁任何与该银行有业务往来的人。”

周六，乔·拜登总统在戴维营与普京进行了一个多小时的会谈，承诺如果俄罗斯军队入侵乌克兰，将“迅速采取严厉措施”。

格雷厄姆说，如果普京发动入侵，美俄关系“将永远改变”，可能会损害未来几十年的外交进程。

“这不是美国最后一任总统。如果俄罗斯入侵乌克兰，你将破坏美俄关系几十年，在短期内，每一位总统在与俄罗斯打交道时都会被放在一个盒子里，所以我希望普京明白这一点，”格雷厄姆说。

当被问及拜登政府发布关于可能的假国旗行动的情报是否有效阻止了向乌克兰的军事推进时，格雷厄姆说，美国政府应该做得更多。

“与其说我想敲响警钟，不如说我想采取行动。他们告诉我们入侵迫在眉睫。但是他们没有清楚地告诉普京如果你入侵会发生什么，”格雷厄姆补充道。“他现在应该受到惩罚。”

最近，这位南卡罗来纳州参议员遭到前总统唐纳德·特朗普的抨击，因为他不同意特朗普的建议，即如果特朗普再次当选，他将赦免1月6日的骚乱者。在接受NewsMax采访时，特朗普甚至称格雷厄姆为“RINO”，一个名存实亡的共和党人。

斯特凡诺普洛斯追问:“那么，你和特朗普总统现在的情况如何?你支持他2024年复出吗?”

“如果他想成为共和党的共和党提名人，那是他的责任，”格雷厄姆回应道。“唐纳德·特朗普是当今共和党中最有影响力的共和党人。他很有可能在2024年再次当选总统。”

尽管一些共和党人仍对上次总统选举的合法结果表示怀疑，但格雷厄姆表示，“2020年的选举对我来说已经结束了”，他没有“质疑”选举结果。

这位关键的共和党参议员也给了这位前总统建议，暗示“如果他向后看，我认为他正在损害他的机会。”

鉴于特朗普与参议院共和党长期领袖米奇·麦康奈尔的关系破裂，斯特凡诺普洛斯问格雷厄姆:“如果(共和党)夺回参议院，你会投票支持米奇·麦康奈尔成为参议院共和党领袖吗?过去，你曾说过，如果特朗普总统想要赢得你的选票，他必须修复与他的关系。”

格雷厄姆说:“是的，我认为众议院或参议院的任何共和党领导人都必须与特朗普总统保持工作关系，因为大多数共和党人喜欢特朗普总统的政策。“所以米奇·麦康奈尔，如果他竞选，或者其他任何人，我认为，必须表现出与总统的工作关系。”

据报道，美国南卡罗来纳州联邦法院的地方法官米歇尔·查尔兹(J. Michelle Childs)是拜登接替最近宣布退休的最高法院大法官斯蒂芬·布雷耶(Stephen Breyer)的最有力竞争者之一。

南卡罗来纳州人格雷厄姆此前曾表示支持查尔兹成为拜登的提名人。

斯特凡诺普洛斯问道:“南卡罗来纳州的米歇尔·查尔兹法官是你唯一能支持的拜登提名人吗?”

“我认为她会获得最多共和党人的选票。我会非常倾向于支持她，因为她的背景，”格雷厄姆说。“她没有上过哈佛或耶鲁，我认为这是一个加分项。她去了南卡罗来纳大学。但我们将拭目以待，看看拜登总统会怎么做。”

Sen. Lindsey Graham says 'we could do more in Congress and should' to stop Russia

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Congress should be sending a stronger signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin as fears of an imminent invasion of Ukraine persist.

On "This Week," anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Graham on Sunday whether he is convinced Putin will invade the neighboring Baltic state.

"No, I'm not, but I'm convinced that we could do more in Congress and should," Graham answered.

The Senate's prospects of passing a sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill have stalled, and Graham said the White House "keeps pushing back" against pre- and post-invasion sanctions being considered by Congress.

Stephanopoulos followed up: "You're saying the president is pushing back against, but you also have some pushback from your Republican colleagues in the Senate?"

"Yeah, but not in a real, meaningful way. There's 70 votes in the body for invasion sanctions, pre-invasion sanctions with a waiver, post-invasion sanctions," Graham responded. "So, the problem has been secondary sanctions. It's not just enough to sanction a Russian bank. You want to sanction anybody that does business with that bank."

On Saturday, President Joe Biden spoke with Putin for a little more than an hour from Camp David, pledging to "impose swift and severe costs" if Russian forces invade Ukraine.

Graham said the U.S.-Russia relationship "would be forever changed," possibly harming the diplomatic process for decades to come, if Putin launched an invasion.

"This is not the last president America will have. If Russia invades the Ukraine, you will destroy the U.S.-Russia relationship for decades and every president in the near-term will be put in a box when it comes to dealing with Russia, so I hope Putin understands that," Graham said.

When asked about whether the Biden administration's release of intelligence on a possible false flag operation has been effective in deterring a military advance into Ukraine, Graham said the U.S. government should be doing more.

"I don't want to ring alarm bell as much as take action. They're telling us the invasion is imminent. But they're not telling Putin with clarity what happens if you invade," Graham added. "He should be punished now."

Recently, the South Carolina senator came under fire by the former President Donald Trump after disagreeing with Trump suggesting he would pardon Jan. 6 rioters if reelected to office. Trump even called Graham a "RINO," a Republican in name only, during an interview with NewsMax.

Stephanopoulos pressed: "So where do things stand with you and President Trump right now? Do you support his comeback in 2024?"

"If he wants to be the Republican nominee for the Republican Party, it's his for the taking," Graham responded. "Donald Trump is the most consequential Republican in the Republican Party today. He has a great chance of being president again in 2024."

Despite some Republicans still casting doubt on the legitimate results of the last presidential election, Graham said "the 2020 election is over for me" and that he's not "contesting" the results.

The key GOP senator gave advice to the former president as well, suggesting that "if he looks backward, I think he's hurting his chances."

Given Trump's fractured relationship with longtime Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, Stephanopoulos asked Graham: "If (Republicans) take the Senate back, will you vote for Mitch McConnell as Senate Republican leader? In the past, you have said that he's got to fix his relationship with President Trump if he's going to earn your vote."

"Yes, I think any Republican leader in the House or the Senate has to have a working relationship with President Trump, because most Republicans like President Trump's policies," Graham said. "And so Mitch McConnell, if he runs, or anyone else, I think, would have to show a working relationship with the president."

U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs, who sits on the federal court in South Carolina, is reported to be one of Biden's top contenders to replace Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who recently announced his retirement.

Graham, a fellow South Carolinian, has previously voiced his support for Childs to become Biden's nominee.

Stephanopoulos asked: "Is Judge Michelle Childs of South Carolina the only Biden nominee you could support?"

"I think she's the one that would get the most Republican votes. I would be very inclined to support her because of her background," Graham said. "She didn't go to Harvard or Yale, which I think is a plus. She went to the University of South Carolina. But we'll wait and see what President Biden does."