Sen. Bob Corker Unleashes on ‘Out of Control’ Saudi Crown Prince After Briefing With Pompeo and Mattis
Republican Sen. Bob Corker tore into Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in comments to reporters on Wednesday after lawmakers were briefed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
The briefing, on Saudi Arabia and Yemen, came amidst calls from Congress to take action against the Gulf nation in response to the killing of Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi — action President Donald Trump has rejected.
Corker was reportedly furious with the Trump administration after the briefing, and even expressed an interest in supporting a bipartisan resolution to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Corker just unloaded on the Trump admin. He’s angry. Inclined to back Yemen resolution.
— Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) November 28, 2018
Corker wants to amend the Yemen resolution to “send the right signal” to Saudi. (It can be amended with 51 votes.) He sounds like he will vote to advance the resolution as is. It can be amended after the motion to table fails.
— Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) November 28, 2018
“We also have a crown prince that’s out-of-control,” Corker told reporters. “A blockade in Qatar, the arrest of a prime minister in Lebanon, the killing of a journalist — whether there is a smoking gun, I don’t think there is anybody in the room that doesn’t believe he was responsible for it.”
Watch here:
Corker: “We also have a crown prince that’s out-of-control — a blockade in Qatar, the arrest of a prime minister in Lebanon, the killing of a journalist — whether there is a smoking gun, I don’t think there is anybody in the room that doesn’t believe he was responsible for it.” pic.twitter.com/2GauUyDoXv
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) November 28, 2018
Trump has expressed skepticism over the CIA’s reported assessment that the crown prince ordered the murder of Khashoggi. CIA Director Gina Haspel was reportedly told by the White House to not attend Wednesday’s briefing, and her absence angered lawmakers.
