US senators have accused President Donald Trump of putting “Saudi Arabia first” in his decision to not take punitive measures against the Saudi kingdom or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
They have alluded that Mr Trump’s decision is “yet another fawning prostration to a foreign authoritarian, noting that such actions by the president could directly threaten the country’s security.
In a statement issued by the White House, Trump said the US intends to remain a “steadfast partner” of Saudi Arabia even though “it could very well be” that Prince Mohammed had knowledge of Khashoggi’s killing.
“We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Trump said.
He added he did not intend to cancel military deals with the kingdom, saying “if we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries”.
