Mitt Romney, who becomes a U.S. Sen. in January, has signaled he will be a thorn in President Trump’s side by slamming his reaction to Saudi Arabia’s role in the murder of dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
Incoming Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, condemned Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s restrained response to Khashoggi’s brutal killing in Istanbul last month, calling the lack of punishment for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “inconsistent” with “American greatness.”
“The President’s and Secretary of State’s Khashoggi statements to date are inconsistent with an enduring foreign policy, with our national interest, with basic human rights, and with American greatness,” Romney said in a statement Tuesday. “Sanctions do not necessarily require ending the alliance; they do demand real and painful consequence.”
Trump distanced himself from the CIA’s reported conclusion earlier Tuesday that the the crown prince had ordered the journalist’s death, suggesting that there was a possibility the crown prince did not have knowledge of the killing.
Romney joined a chorus of criticism against the president’s stance that includes dismay fromthe likes of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.
Trump said maintaining a relationship with Saudi Arabia was critical in defeating terrorism. Pompeo also defended the partnership, calling it “vital” to national security.
