Lindsey Graham: Journalists Are ‘Soft Targets’ After Paris Attack

After three gunmen killed 12 people Wednesday morning at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is warning journalists that they could be “soft targets” for terrorists.

“People in your business need to be concerned,” Graham told CNN’s Dana Bash. “You’re soft targets, and they hate the idea of being able to tell a story.”

Bash asked him if he is saying that based on actual intelligence reports, but Graham said it is just “based on common sense.”

While not able to definitively say whether ISIS ordered, carried out, or inspired the Paris attacks, Graham said the U.S. should raise the terror threat level today for fear of “copycat” attacks, adding that sequestration budget cuts make it harder to gather intelligence required to thwart those attacks.

“The only way you protect Americans is to find out about these things before they happen,” he said.

Watch the video below, via CNN:

[Image via screengrab]

— —

>>Follow Andrew Desiderio (@forza_desiderio) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!