On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) argued President Trump should not meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and that the CIA’s report on the death of Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi should be declassified.
Rand began by arguing that the government tends to overclassify and the CIA’s report on the Khashoggi killing is an example of overclassification.
He later stated, “I think what’s been going on for a long time in American foreign policy is that we’re so used to supporting the lesser of two evils that we look the other way when evil happens. I think the evil that occurred to Mr. Khashoggi was so barbaric that people are having trouble looking away, and this administration is doing what every administration has done for the last decade after decade. They look away when it’s their guy.”
Rand also argued that meeting with the crown prince would be “a mistake. And I think the message we should send to them is that we want to deal with someone who’s not ordering the murder of dissidents, we want to meet with someone who’s not ordering the blockade of a fellow Middle Eastern country, Qatar, we want to meet with someone who isn’t exacerbating a war on civilians in Yemen. And I think the only way they get that message is if we quit selling them arms. So, meeting with them sends the wrong message.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.