GOP lawmaker clashes with MS NOW host over war in Iran, accuses her of spewing leftist talking points

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Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., clashed with MS NOW host Katy Tur on Tuesday over the war in Iran, as the lawmaker accused her of pushing leftist talking points.

Tur asked Lawler about whether the Trump administration had a real strategy for the war, suggesting the president was “more desperate” than Iran. The GOP lawmaker brought up former President Barack Obama and the conflict in Libya.

“We don’t need to go back to Barack Obama. We can stick– no, let’s stick with President Trump. No, we don’t,” Tur said. “I want to live in the moment and I don’t want to do a 10-minute detour for President Obama.”

Lawler said, “Excuse me. It’s not a detour. It’s not a detour. It’s a relevant fact, OK? We were in a seven-month war in Libya that resulted in a civil war. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi fully endorsed it, fully embraced it, said everything was great, and the president was well within his authority.”

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Tur asked how the example justified the current war in Iran. She said, “I’m talking about this president who promised no foreign wars.”

“I know you just want to spew out the talking points for the left here, but the fact is this: this was a just war that the president engaged in to stop this regime from possessing a nuclear weapon, and ultimately, you can say that over the past eight weeks — in your opinion, seemingly — nothing has been done, but the fact is their leadership is gone, the ayatollah is dead, the clerics are dead, the leadership of the IRGC is dead,” Lawler responded.

He continued, “The remnants are what we are dealing with right now. And yes, if you think they’re using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage is a problem, what do you think it would have been if they actually had a nuclear weapon? What do you think they would have done using a nuclear weapon to extort the rest of the world?”

Lawler argued that Iran was actually engaged in negotiations about their enriched uranium and financing of terrorism.

Rep. Mike Lawler walking outside the U.S. Capitol

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“All the members of the media who have said this is a problem, but because something was actually done now say, I can’t believe we did something, give me a break. The fact is that they needed to be dealt with, and somebody actually took action to go after a regime that has acted belligerently for 47 years, killing thousands of Americans,” he said.

Tur pressed Lawler on what he would consider to be a successful outcome. When Lawler cited the killing of the former ayatollah, Tur said the new ayatollah might be even more “hardline.”

After back-and-forth between the two, Lawler accused Tur of repeating a talking point.

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaking to media on the South Lawn of the White House

“Everybody wants success! Everybody, everybody — everyone wants a new regime, everyone wants democracy for Iran, absolutely. Everyone wants to be safer. Everyone is worried that it’s going to become something much more dangerous,” Tur said.

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