Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia is a critical ally that can’t be abandoned even after the “awful” slaying of dissident Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi strike team.
Pompeo said on Fox News that while the U.S. opposes the “tragic” killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi, there are other, larger issues that can’t be forgotten. That includes Saudi Arabia’s assistance in keeping Iran in check.
[Read: Trump stands by Saudi crown prince despite Khashoggi murder]
“Iran is running rampant throughout the Middle East,” Pompeo said. “The death of any one individual is awful. The death of hundreds of thousands of people in Europe and the Middle East or the United States matters an awful lot.”
“America has an important ally in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said earlier in the interview. “They work with us on issues that provide security for America and for Israel.”
“It is an important relationship for the Kingdom, and we intend to continue to protect the American people in the way that voters two years ago demanded,” he added.
Those sorts of answers have frustrated members of Congress who are looking for an acknowledgement that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s death. But Pompeo insisted that the investigation is ongoing, and that the U.S. does not have enough information to pin the murder on the crown prince.
“They’re still working on this,” he said, noting that reports saying the crown prince was involved are “inaccurate.”
“This is still a developing set of facts with respect to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi,” he said. “The intelligence community is working diligently on that.”
Pompeo also refused to say what his instincts told him about the crown prince’s involvement after meeting with him.
“The king of Saudi Arabia decides who is running the country,” he said when asked if he thinks the crown prince was involved.
“We are working closely with the kingdom to make sure that America is protected,” he said. “That’s our interest there.”
