CNN host confronts GOP lawmaker who contradicted Trump on air: 'I don't mean to interrupt'

CNN's John Berman flagged a Republican congressman for seemingly contradicting President Donald Trump's claims about his objectives in the Iran war.

The president claimed in his prime time address that regime change has already been accomplished, although there's no indication the authoritarian Islamic Republic has fallen out of power, and Rep. Martin Stutzman (R-IN) seemed to understand that.

"Weshould never trust this regime," Stutzman said. "This has been going on for 40years and if the IRGC and theayatollah are still in power in Iran, it will always be aproblem because these guys are, they're true believers that if youdon't agree with them and theirreligious beliefs, that they aregoing to somehow eithereliminate the person or they'regoing to get a nuclear bomb inorder to leverage the rest ofthe world, and so I think thatthis there has to be a regimechange here. I am not afraid tosay it, because we know thatthis regime has been a –"

Berman stepped in to ask the Indiana Republican to clarify his remarks.

"I don't mean to interrupt,but you said there has to be aregime change," Berman said. "Does that meanyou don't think there has been? Because the president said lastnight there was regime change."

Stutzman backtracked and insisted that whatever the president had said was likely more accurate than his own assessment.

"Well, and again, I mean, thepresident knows a lot more thanI do," Stutzman replied, "and who he's talking toand how he is, uh, you know,negotiating with the the peoplein Iran. So if he is comfortablewith a new person that's takingpower, then that is anew leadership in Iran, and Ithink that that's what'simportant. We can't let the oldguys stay in power. We have tolet the Iranian people havetheir country back."

"It alsocreates an ally in the Middle East, it brings stability to the Middle East," he added. "You know, watchingthe Gulf States stepping upthrough this conflict is reallyremarkable. This wouldn't havehappened 10 years ago, and tohave Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Israel all working for the samegoal here to take off the headof the snake is trulyremarkable, and I think thatthat's what I mean whenI say there's got to besomebody new."

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