Republican Senator Bob Croker criticized Trump for his support to Mohammad Bin Salman

Listen to this article

A Republican Senator Bob Corker has classified continued support from Trump administration for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman as un-American following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju reported on Thursday that the GOP politician from Tennessee slammed response of the White House to the slaying. Corker also took aim at the kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, Prince Khalid bin Salman. He is the younger brother of Mohammad bin Salman, referring to him as an individual of zero credibility and suggesting that he could be expelled.

Corker and other Republican senators, such as Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have also repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump for his step toward Saudi Arabia following the October 2 killing of Khashoggi. The journalist was killed by a team of agents allegedly linked to the crown prince after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Trump has brushed aside the killing, affirming that the kingdom is a “great ally” of the United States. He has also argued that supporting the kingdom would be putting “America first.”

Trump’s support for Riyadh and the royal family has led many critics to point to the president’s personal financial interests in the kingdom. Trump has formerly bragged regarding Saudis spending millions on his apartments. Some reports have indicated that the kingdom paid lobbyists to book hundreds of rooms in the Trump Organization’s Washington hotel. A bipartisan group of senators met on Capitol Hill on Thursday to reach agreement on how to target Saudi Arabia and its young crown prince in response to the killing.