Evangelist Franklin Graham says greed, lust, and wickedness are at the heart of Washington's woes.

In an exclusive interview with CBN News, the leader of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association says America is in crisis because we've taken God out of the picture.

"Our government is in trouble; our country is in trouble," Franklin warned. "We are in moral decay; we are in economic decay."

"Our politicians don't know right from wrong," he continued. "And our politicians come to this city and they fight one another and it's the greed in their hearts, the lust that's in their hearts and they make all these rules and laws that affect the rest of us."

*** (Video) For more of Franklin Graham's interview, visit Beltway Buzz.

"And the government spends and spends and spends, and they don't have the money to pay for it. But the politicians are trying to use that money to buy votes in favor for themselves. It is so greedy and so wicked and so wrong," he charged.

According to Graham, this is what happens when God is removed from government and the nation's schools.

"Isn't it interesting," he noted, "that in Washington, here we are in this crisis we find ourselves in (and) nobody is saying 'Hey, time out. Let's get on our knees and let's call on the name of Almighty God and let's ask Him for help. Let's ask Him to bring us together and find a way out of this mess we're in.'"

"Nobody -- the president, the Senate, the Congress -- nobody is saying, 'Let's call on the name of Almighty God.' Why? Because we've taken God out of our government. We don't want Him," Graham concluded.

Graham is promoting his father's latest book, The Reason for My Hope. He says the Christian Gospel has the power to change hearts and lives and heal the country.

The BGEA is preparing for a televised event next month that will feature a message from his father, Billy Graham.