Sen. Lindsey Graham called on Tuesday for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be ousted from power in Saudi Arabia over the disappearance and suspected brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
“This guy has got to go,” Mr. Graham said on Fox News, “Saudi Arabia are you listening? There’s a lot of good people you can choose, but MBS [the crown prince] has tainted your country and tainted himself.”
Mr. Graham explained he was one of Saudi Arabia’s staunchest supporters in Congress, but now feels “used and abused” in light of Khashoggi crisis. The South Carolina Republican said the crown prince is “toxic” and can never be a world leader.
“I’m not going back to Saudi Arabia as long as this guy is in charge,” he said.
While President Trump has reserved judgment so far, Mr. Graham insisted that the U.S. will act if Saudi Arabia is connected to Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance. The Washington Post columnist entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey on Oct. 3 but has not been seen since.
“We’re going to sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo met with both King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Tuesday about the situation.
The country has not yet put out an official statement on the disappearance, but many major American news outlets have reported that the government is preparing to acknowledge the writer was murdered.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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