Lindsey Graham changes his tune on Saudi Arabia after a $37 billion South Carolina contract with Boeing
After the brutal death and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) proclaimed he would never go to Saudi Arabia as long as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was in charge.
Five years later, Graham met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for what he called a “very productive” meeting on Tuesday, reported The Washington Post.
“The opportunity to enhance the U.S.-Saudi relationship is real, and the reforms going on in Saudi Arabia are equally real," Graham also Tweeted.
It's a dramatic shift for Graham, which joined along with other Republicans that were disgusted that a legal permanent resident of America would be lured to a consulate where he would ultimately meet his demise.
In the days following Khashogg's murder, Graham told Reuters, "I can say, without any hesitation, behavior like this is unacceptable. It violates every international norm. It can't be condoned. And the way we deal with Saudi Arabia will be a message to others."
“He had this guy murdered in the consulate in Turkey!” Graham told Fox News days later.
"Expect me to ignore it? I feel used and abused,” Graham complained about his previous advocacy for the Saudis. “I was on the floor every time defending Saudi Arabia because they are a good ally.”
Graham was still hot two months later, writing a Twitter thread calling MBS "beyond toxic." He complained, “when we lose our moral voice, we lose our strongest asset.”
"One thing I learned during the Obama years is that when you look the other way regarding problems in the Middle East, it seldom works out," he tweeted. "Time and time again President Obama chose to look the other way as Iran took increasingly provocative actions. Each time it led to even worse Iranian behavior and created even larger problems for the future. Likewise, it is not in our national security interests to look the other way when it comes to the brutal murder of Mr. Jamal #Khashoggi."
He went on to say that he believes a bipartisan group would support sanctions against the Saudis for the murder. But that never happened.
"I firmly believe there will be strong bipartisan support for serious sanctions against Saudi Arabia, including appropriate members of the royal family, for this barbaric act which defied all civilized norms," the 2018 Graham wrote. "While Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally, the behavior of the Crown Prince – in multiple ways – has shown disrespect for the relationship and made him, in my view, beyond toxic. I fully realize we have to deal with bad actors and imperfect situations on the international stage. However, when we lose our moral voice, we lose our strongest asset."
Graham's price was “$37 billion worth of Boeing 787s — which are made in South Carolina — for the new Saudi airline," he said.
“Investments like this are game changers,” he explained.
Former Treasury Secretary Steve "Mnuchin met personally with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the killing. The prince is chairman of the Saudi fund backing Mnuchin’s new venture. The Trump White House also engineered arms deals with the Saudis and the United Arab Emirates, despite congressional opposition, and it backed both countries in their controversial interventions in Yemen’s civil war."
MBS has denied any role in Khashoggi's assassination, even after a CIA report determined that the prince had ordered it.
