Rand Paul Pans Trump Statement: It’s ‘Saudi Arabia First, Not America First’

Senator Rand Paul (R- KY) wasn’t impressed with President Donald Trump‘s statement on Saudi Arabia released by the White House earlier today.

In it, the President sides with Saudi Arabia and says the issue of whether the crown prince ordered the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi is up in the air.

Paul not only blasted the statement as “Saudi Arabia first,” but he said he suspects it was crafted by John Bolton:

The President indicates that Saudi Arabia is the lesser two evils compared to Iran and so the US won’t punish Saudi Arabia for the brutal killing and dismemberment of a dissident journalist in their consulate. I disagree.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 20, 2018

We should, at the very least, NOT reward Saudi Arabia with our sophisticated armaments that they in turn use to bomb civilians.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 20, 2018

I’m pretty sure this statement is Saudi Arabia First, not America First. I’m also pretty sure John Bolton wrote it.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 20, 2018

Axios’ Jonathan Swan responded by noting that this appears to be “pure Trump,” not Bolton, if Axios’ reporting from Sunday is any indication:

President Trump has never wanted to make a big deal out of the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the CIA reportedly has concluded was ordered by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Behind the scenes: Trump has privately called the assassination “really bad,” but immediately adds that other countries America deals with, including China, do “a lot of bad things,” according to sources with direct knowledge. Trump has also privately told associates he thinks it’s ridiculous that people are making so much of the Saudi murder of one man, given the brutal practices of countries like China.

[image via screengrab]