Republican strategist Patrick Ruffini on Monday said he agrees with President Trump’s response to the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the president has been forced to walk a diplomatic tightrope with the longtime U.S. ally.
“We need their support often times in the region to get things done,” Ruffini, co-founder of Echelon Insights, told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”
“We have other countries that are even bigger problems, you know, Iraq, Syria, and what not,” he continued.
“I think that this is an appropriate stance that the president has taken in this case,” he said.
Khashoggi, who was an opinion writer for the Washington Post, disappeared earlier this month after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish officials have said they have reason to believe Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the consulate on orders of the government in Riyadh.
Trump announced in a tweet on Monday that he had spoken with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, and that he was sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with the leader.
Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened “to our Saudi Arabian citizen.” He said that they are working closely with Turkey to find answer. I am immediately sending our Secretary of State to meet with King!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2018
The president later appeared to suggest that Saudi Arabia may not have been behind Khashoggi’s disappearance, saying instead “rogue killers” could have been responsible.
Trump has faced bipartisan pressure from lawmakers to pull out of a $110 billion arms deal with the Saudis, as well as to impose sanctions on the U.S. ally.
He has signaled that he is against canceling the deal.
— Julia Manchester
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