'Dancing really nice': Republican openly mocked as he echoes Trump's 'obliterated' claim

A Republican congressman's attempts to defend President Donald Trump's conflicting claims about Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities was met with laughter on CNN Wednesday morning.

Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), a former Green Beret who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, appeared Wednesday on "CNN This Morning," where he defended the 80-year-old president's decision to launch the war and insisted Trump had clearly defined his goals in the ongoing conflict.

"The Americanpeople did have the goals andobjectives clearly articulatedto them from the beginning ofthe conflict," Harrigan said. "Now, they didn'thave a choice in the conflict, that was a surprise toeverybody. But we've actuallyachieved a fair number of them."

Harrigan argued the U.S. also needed to reduce Iran's drone capability, ensure it could not project regional force and prevent it from sponsoring terrorism, and he said most of those goals have been achieved.

But when he tried to echo a claim often made by Trump, he met with pushback.

"We've absolutelyburied their nuclear program," Harrington said, "and we have the ability to havepersistent over-the-horizonoversight and continually comeback to those sites—"

That's when Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright cut in with an objection.

"You all said that to the American peoplebefore — it was obliterated, itwas destroyed, and now here weare having the sameconversation," Seawright said. "Now you're saying once again itwas destroyed. So which one is it?"

Seawright continued to push Harrington to specify his argument.

"Was it destroyed before or is itdestroyed now?" he said. "You see whythere's a lack of trust betweenthe American people and whatthis administration, and you allare saying, versus the real factsthat are on the table."

Harrigan tried to downplay the discrepancies.

"I'm trying to call balls andstrikes, and what theadministration has said is alittle bit different than theway that I'm portraying it," Harrigan conceded.

Seawright interjected with a question, asking, "So you don't believe it wasdestroyed the first time iswhat you're saying?"

"It's absolutely buried," Harrigan assured him. "There's no question."

"No, the first time, the firsttime it was announced that itwas obliterated, destroyed," Seawright retorted. "Youdon't, you didn't believe thatthen because you're saying nowit is. So was it destroyed thenor now?"

"It's functionally obliteratedfrom the perspective of theycan't get to it," Harrigan dodged.

Seawright shook his head and laughed.

"You dancing really nice," he said.

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