On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day,” Senate Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) stated that even though there are a “litany” of bad actions by the “terrible regime” of Saudi Arabia, and “It wasn’t worth anything” he is “glad” President Joe Biden “tried” by doing “a little fist bump” with Saudi leaders in an attempt “to help the United States and help us battle through this inflation.” Durbin also stated that Saudi Arabia isn’t a trustworthy ally and is aligned with Russia, not the U.S.
Durbin said, “It is Putin and Saudi Arabia against the United States.”
Co-host John Berman then asked, “So, as you sit here this morning, is Saudi Arabia a U.S. ally?”
Durbin responded, “Certainly not a trustworthy ally. There may be some aspects of our relationship that are positive for both sides. But I think it’s — we’ve reached the end of our rope. Listen, the litany of complaints…against Saudi Arabia continues to get longer and longer, from unanswered questions of 9/11, to the involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the terrible situation, the famine situation created by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, the list is almost endless. And we tried our best. Joe Biden reached out to the Saudi leader, did a little fist bump there. It wasn’t worth anything. I don’t believe we can trust them in the future when it comes to the key elements of the security interests of the United States.”
Berman then asked, “You said President Biden tried his best and you noted the fist bump. In retrospect, is that a mistake?”
Durbin answered, “No. Listen, I’m glad he tried. He made it clear that he was willing to sit down and talk with them, even though we know the litany I just gave is not a very good one. He’s trying to help the United States and help us battle through this inflation. I’m glad he gave it a try, but now we know that the Saudis walked away from this. They would rather be in league with Putin than with the United States.”
Durbin later stated, “I mean, this is a terrible regime. It is a kingdom in the 21st century that should be out of business.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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