President Donald Trump has declared he will not further punish Saudi Arabia for the killing of US-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Mr Trump made it clear in an exclamation-filled statement that the benefits of good relations with the kingdom outweigh the possibility its crown prince ordered the killing.
The president condemned the killing of Mr Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as a “horrible crime … that our country does not condone”.
But he rejected calls by many in Congress, including members of his own party, for a tougher response, and dismissed reports from US intelligence agencies that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have at least known about the plot.
“It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event,” the president said. “Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t.”
The statement began with the words “America First!” followed by “The world is a very dangerous place!”
AMERICA FIRST!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2018
It came after weeks of debate over whether the president would or should come down hard on the Saudis and the crown prince in response to the killing of the Saudi columnist for The Washington Post who had criticised the royal family.
The US earlier sanctioned 17 Saudi officials suspected of being responsible for or complicit in the October 2 killing, but members of Congress have called for harsher actions, including cancelling arms sales.
While Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally, the behavior of the Crown Prince – in multiple ways – has shown disrespect for the relationship and made him, in my view, beyond toxic.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) November 20, 2018
Mr Trump said “foolishly cancelling these contracts” worth billions of dollars would only benefit Russia and China, which would be next in line to supply the weapons.
Critics denounced Mr Trump’s statement saying he ignored human rights and granted Saudi Arabia a pass for economic reasons.
Trump on the fallout over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi: “It’s a shame, but it is what it is.” (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/4bkzq2of0Y
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 20, 2018
Asked by a reporter if he was saying that human rights are too expensive to fight for, he responded: “No, I’m not saying that at all.”
But then he switched the subject to the “terrorist nation” of Iran rather than any actions by Saudi Arabia.
The US needs a “counterbalance” to Iran, “and Israel needs help, too,” he said. “If we abandon Saudi Arabia, it would be a terrible mistake.”
“It’s a sign of weakness not to stand up to Saudi Arabia,” Mr Paul said in an interview. “Sometimes when you have two evils, maybe you don’t support either side.”
Trump appears to have lied for weeks about what he knew about the Khashoggi murder. Now he essentially says he doesn’t care about it. House must investigate what he knew and when he knew it, and why he is so beholden to MBS.
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) November 20, 2018
Republican Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator who is close to Mr Trump, also disagreed with the president’s statement, saying America must not lose its “moral voice” on the international stage.
“It is not in our national security interests to look the other way when it comes to the brutal murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi,” Mr Graham said.
