Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., vowed never to work with Saudi Arabia again as long as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is leading the country and said he intends to “sanction the hell” out of the country.
“This guy has got to go. Saudi Arabia, if you’re listening, there are a lot of good people you can choose, but MBS has tainted your country and tainted himself,” Graham said on “Fox and Friends” Tuesday, referring to the crown prince’s moniker.
“I can never do business with Saudi Arabia again until we get this behind us,” Graham added. “That means I’m not going back to Saudi Arabia as long as this guy is in charge.”
When asked what the president should do, Graham responded: “It’s up to the president. But what I would do? I know what I’m gonna do, we’re gonna sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia. You know, we deal with bad people all the time, but this is in our face. I feel personally offended. They have nothing but contempt for us.”
Saudi Arabia is suspected of killing and dismembering Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi when he visited its consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. Khashoggi has not been seen or heard from since he entered the consulate to obtain papers to marry his fiancee.
Turkish authorities believe the crown prince played a role in the matter because a team of Saudis who allegedly killed Khashoggi flew to Istanbul on jets controlled by the crown prince.
“I’ve been their biggest defender on the floor of the United States. This guy is a wrecking ball. He had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey and to expect me to ignore it, I feel used and abused,” Graham said, adding that the crown prince is “toxic.”
“He can never be a leader on the world stage,” he continued.
