Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said he was “certain” that Congress would look into President Donald Trump’s “personal motivations” on the Saudi Arabia issue given his continued support for the Saudis.
Trump’s gestures come despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman being blamed for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Lee said, “I disagree with the president’s assessment. It’s inconsistent with the intelligence I’ve seen. Now look, I don’t have access to everything that the president sees. I’m not sure what he’s relying on. The intelligence I’ve seen suggests that this was ordered by the crown prince.”
On Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, Lee said, “I think this is yet another indication that this unauthorized, unconstitutional war, from our standpoint, is not something that we ought to be fighting. This is not an ally that deserves this kind of military intervention. Especially because there’s been no connection between the safety of the American people and our involvement in this war.”
Host Chuck Todd asked, “Should Congress look into seeing if he’s got financial motivations into why he might be siding with the Saudis over the CIA?”
Lee said, “Look, I don’t know why he’s siding with the Saudis. But I think there are things we can do to change our relationship with the Saudis, notwithstanding whatever his personal motivations might be.”
He added, “I’m also certain that in the next Congress, people will look into that.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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