King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia called former President George W. Bush Tuesday to convey his sympathies over the loss of his father, former President George H.W. Bush.
“The King expressed his condolences and consolation to him, his family and the American people,” the Saudi Press Agency said Tuesday in a statement. The official state-run news outlet said the 43rd president thanked the king, 82, for his support.
The call comes as U.S.-Saudi relations have declined due the death of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. The CIA reportedly determined with “high confidence” that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October. The Saudi royal family has denied Crown Prince Mohammed was involved in Khashoggi’s killing.
The conversation preceded President Trump, who has been criticized over his response to Khashoggi’s death, visiting George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush Tuesday at Blair House, across from the White House, ahead of the elder Bush’s funeral Wednesday at the Washington National Cathedral.
George H.W. Bush died Friday at the age of 94. Trump officially named Wednesday as a national day of mourning for the 41st president.
