South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has said that he would refuse to work with Saudi Arabia and would “sanction the hell” out of the country unless leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is gotten rid of.
According to the Washington Examiner , Graham issued a warning to the country that they should oust their leader, saying that the Crown Prince “has tainted your country and tainted himself.”
“I can never do business with Saudi Arabia again until we get this behind us,” Graham added. “That means I’m not going back to Saudi Arabia as long as this guy is in charge.”
Graham was speaking on a segment of Fox & Friends when he made his explosive comments. When asked what U.S. President Donald Trump should do regarding the situation in Saudi Arabia, he offered up advice on what he would do if he were in the position to make that decision.
“It’s up to the president. But what I would do? I know what I’m gonna do, we’re gonna sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia. You know, we deal with bad people all the time, but this is in our face. I feel personally offended. They have nothing but contempt for us.”
Lindsey Graham: MBS is a “wrecking ball” who had Khashoggi murdered, he’s “toxic” and he’s “gotta go.”
“This guy is a wrecking ball, he had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey, and to expect me to ignore it, I feel used and abused.” (via Fox) pic.twitter.com/aUnZQzsdb8
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 16, 2018
The country is suspected to have a hand in the killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He visited the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago in order to obtain papers needed for him to be able to marry his fiancee. Khashoggi has not been seen or heard from since until his horrific death was uncovered.
Turkish authorities have laid the blame at the Crown Prince’s feet because the alleged assassins who flew into the country to kill the journalist were transported on private jets controlled by him.
Graham feels that his involvement in the killing is a betrayal, given that the senator has always spoken favorably of Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve been their biggest defender on the floor of the United States. This guy is a wrecking ball. He had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey and to expect me to ignore it, I feel used and abused. He can never be a leader on the world stage,” he said, adding that the Crown Prince is “toxic.”
Per the Washington Times , Trump has so far not shared his opinion on the Saudis involvement, but Lindsey adamantly insists the U.S. will be handling the matter as though the Middle Eastern country is responsible for Khashoggi’s death.
