In another extraordinary development surrounding President Donald Trump and his ties to foreign powers, retired Rear Admiral John Kirby on Monday suggested that Saudi Arabia has some kind of “leverage” over Trump that would allow the country’s top officials to get away with the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Appearing on CNN on Monday, Kirby said that the administration was dragging its feet in issuing a report on the killing because it would likely be bad news for Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been accused of personally orchestrating Khashoggi’s assassination.
“They are slow rolling this,” he said. “This whole episode shows you the degree to which this administration has gone all in on Saudi Arabia. It shows you the degree to which their Middle East policy is about Iran, and they see Saudi Arabia as the biggest counterweight against Iran.”
Kirby then explained how the Trump administration is so dependent on the Saudis that the country likely now believes it can get away with anything.
“They have leverage over Trump,” he said. “I think they are absolutely seeing signs from the Trump administration that they’re going to continue to get away with this. It’s what both sides are doing — the Saudis and the Trump administration — just playing for time.”
Watch the video below.
RELATED: A Link Has Emerged Between Trump, Saudi Arabia And The Murder Of Bezos’ Employee Jamal Khashoggi.
