Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday defended the administration’s continuing partnership with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite the killing of a dissident and Washington Post columnist, and described it as a concession that had to be made in the face of the hard realities of national security.
“It’s a mean, nasty world out there — the Middle East in particular,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. “There are important American interests to keep the American people safe, to protect Americans — not only Americans who are here, but Americans who are traveling and working, doing business in the Middle East. It is the president’s obligation, indeed the State Department’s duty as well, to ensure that we adopt policies that further America’s national security.”
President Trump expressed doubt doubt whether the Saudi crown prince had foreknowledge of the plan to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and critic of the Saudi monarchy who was executed by the crown prince’s team while visiting a Saudi diplomatic facility in Turkey. But in his statement, issued earlier Tuesday, the president made clear that strategic imperatives would dictate his reaction even if Crown Prince Mohammed could be proven culpable.
“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 any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. It is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world!”
Pompeo made a similar argument Tuesday.
“United States will continue to have a relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; they are an important partner of ours,” he said. “That is the commitment that the president made today. it’s that straightforward. By the way, this is a long, historic commitment and one that is absolutely vital to Americans national security.”
[Opinion: Trump’s mealy-mouthed statement on the Jamal Khashoggi murder is actually prudent]
