Senators demand probe of crown prince’s role

WASHINGTON — The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have written to the president demanding that his administration “make a determination” about whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was responsible for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Sens. Bob Corker, R-tenn., and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., wrote the letter to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, asking for an investigation under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

The act requires the president to determine whether a foreign person is responsible for an extrajudicial killing, torture or other gross violation of internationally recognized human rights against an individual exercising freedom of expression. and China, which would be next in line to supply the weapons. Critics denounced Trump’s statement, saying he ignored human rights and granted Saudi Arabia a pass for economic reasons.

The U.S. needs a “counterbalance” to Iran, “and Israel needs help, too,” the president said. “If we abandon Saudi Arabia, it would be a terrible mistake.”

The mistake was Trump’s, said Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY., who contended the administration has “blinders on” in comparing Iran and Saudi Arabia.

“It’s a sign of weakness not to stand up to Saudi Arabia,” Paul said in an interview. “Sometimes when you have two evils, maybe you don’t support either side.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is close to Trump, also disagreed with the president’s statement, saying America must not lose its “moral voice” on the international stage.

“It is not in our national security interests to look the other way when it comes to the brutal murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Graham said.