Lindsey Graham Rails Against Media Coverage For Not Declaring New Orleans Attack As ‘Part of Larger War on Terrorism’

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) blasted the media on Thursday for treating the deadly terror attack in New Orleans as a “crime” and not as part of the “larger war on terrorism.”

Graham said there was an important distinction between simple violent crime and the deadly New Year’s Day truck-ramming in New Orleans. Police said 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar killed 14 people at around 4:15 a.m. ET Wednesday with a rented vehicle while wearing military garb. The suspect, who was killed in a shootout with police, was also carrying an ISIS flag and an AR-15-style rifle.

In a Thursday post on his (formerly Twitter) account, Graham ripped the media for its coverage of Jabbar’s alleged actions:

As I watch coverage of this barbaric, cowardly attack that was ISIS-inspired, it is disturbing how far America has drifted from the fact that we are in a state of war with radical Islamic forces.

The coverage suggests we’re fighting a crime and that ISIS-inspired attacks are mere criminal events, not part of the larger war on terrorism. The difference between fighting a war and a crime is substantial. It is now time for America to realize that radical Islamic-directed or inspired attacks are acts of war, not part of a criminal enterprise. The tools designed to protect America in a time of war are being under-utilized. I am hoping President Trump will realize this key distinction.

The FBI said Jabbar’s actions were inspired by his support for ISIS and he traveled to Louisiana from Texas to carry out the attack. He had previously, per investigators, plotted to kill family members. According to reports, Jabbar decided to target Bourbon Street in order to maximize media coverage of a rampage. CNN reported:

In a series of videos, the man responsible for the deadly New Year’s attack in New Orleans discussed planning to kill his family and having dreams that helped inspire him to join ISIS, according to multiple officials briefed on the investigation.

[…]

Jabbar, a Texas-born US citizen and Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, made reference in the videos to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” with the intention of killing them, two officials who had been briefed on the recordings said.