White House Acts Like 'PR Firm' For Saudi Crown Prince In Khashoggi Case - Senator Corker

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2018) The Trump administration is defending the reputation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in the murder case of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Senator Bob Corker said in a statement.

"I never thought I'd see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia," Corker said on in a Twitter message Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump said in a statement the United States would continue to partner with Saudi Arabia and has no intention to cancel arms deals with Riyadh amid scrutiny over the killing of Khashoggi. Moreover, he said bin Salman could have been aware of the prepared murder of the Saudi journalist.

US lawmakers fiercely criticized Trump's response and pushed for more actions against Saudi Arabia.

Senator Rand Paul called Trump's statement "Saudi Arabia First," and added that Washington should not reward Riyadh with sophisticated US weapons.

On November 15, the Saudi Prosecutor General's Office said that the journalist had been killed with a drug injection and his body had been dismembered and taken out of the consulate, adding that a total of 21 people had been detained in relation to the case.

The Trump administration has sanctioned 17 Saudi nationals who were allegedly involved in the Khashoggi killing.