Subcommittee chairman Senator Lindsay Graham
Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said on Tuesday there is strong bipartisan support in Congress for serious sanctions against Saudi Arabia, "including appropriate members of the royal family."
Graham's statement comes hours after Trump reiterated his defense of Riyadh over the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, even though the CIA believes Saudi Arabia's crown prince ordered the killing.
Iran’s Foreign Minister sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday for pledging to stand by Saudi Arabia despite its role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi."Mr. Trump bizarrely devotes the FIRST paragraph of his shameful statement on Saudi atrocities to accuse IRAN of every sort of malfeasance he can think of," Javad Zarif said on Twitter.US Senators blast Trump's statement on Khashoggi“The country of Iran, as an example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, trying to destabilize Iraq’s fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria (who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more. Likewise, the Iranians have killed many Americans and other innocent people throughout the Middle East,” Trump said in the statement, which was released by the White House.It came in the wake of a report in which the CIA concluded with high confidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's killing.Zarif also ridiculed the statement, alluding to recent comments by Trump while touring a fire-devastated town in California in which he claimed Finland’s president had told him the European country prevented wildfires in part by raking their forests."Perhaps we’re also responsible for the California fires, because we didn’t help rake the forests— just like the Finns do?"Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After initially saying he left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later he was killed there.His body has yet to be returned to his family amid reports that it was chemically dissolved.
Iran slams Trump's 'shameful' statement on Khashoggi
Prominent senators lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday for his statement on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying they disagree with the decision not to punish Saudi Arabia.Trump's statement came after the CIA released a report in which it concluded with high confidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder.However, the president said the U.S. may "never know all of the facts" and the country will maintain its relations with Saudi Arabia in order to pursue American interests.'Blindingly obvious' that MBS ordered Khashoggi killingKhashoggi killing complicates Saudi rescue bid for S.African arms firm“Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!" Trump said in the statement, which was released by the White House.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After initially saying he left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later that he was killed there.“You can’t just throw in some exclamations (!!!!), yell that the world is dangerous, and call it a press release,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Twitter. “That's not how a U.S. President responds to the murder of a journalist and American resident.”Senator Dianne Feinstein also voiced opposition to Trump's statement, saying the U.S. should be “standing up and condemning a brazen murder by a foreign government" and that all individuals involved should be held accountable.Trump spoke to reporters in front of the White House later Tuesday and defended his statement by saying "It's America first for me".“I'm not going to destroy the world economy and I'm not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with Saudi Arabia,” he said.In his statement, Trump also called the Kingdom an ally against Iran, who the U.S. calls a sponsor of terrorism.However, Senator Rand Paul took to Twitter to voice his disagreement, saying Saudi Arabia should be punished.“The President indicates that Saudi Arabia is the lesser of two evils compared to Iran and so the US won’t punish Saudi Arabia for the brutal killing and dismemberment of a dissident journalist in their consulate. I disagree.”Senator Mark Warner noted that Trump's failure to hold Saudi Arabia accountable shows his retreat from leadership.“It’s hard to imagine that the Saudis would have taken this action under a Reagan, Bush, Clinton or Obama Administration without facing serious repercussions,” he said in a statement."Once again, our President proves that you can’t buy a moral compass,” Ilhan Omar, one of the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress, said on Twitter."And Saudi Arabia proves that you can, on the other hand, buy a President," she added.Meanwhile, senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, noted: "I firmly believe there will be strong bipartisan support for serious sanctions against Saudi Arabia, including appropriate members of the royal family, for this barbaric act which defied all civilized norms."
US Senators blast Trump's statement on Khashoggi