Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Wednesday President Trump’s siding with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the CIA reportedly found the crown prince was directly involved in the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was another example of failed leadership.
“Clearly the president has demonstrated that he is a show-me-the-money president, and I don’t — you know, this is not about America first. This comes out as Saudi first,” Clapper said during an interview on CNN.
“The President has demonstrated that he is a show me the money president,” says former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper about Trump thanking Saudi Arabia for declining the price of oil, a day after the President sided with Saudis over CIA in journalist killing pic.twitter.com/N51SAiaUrD
— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) November 22, 2018
Clapper’s comments follow a White House statement Tuesday titled, “Standing with Saudi Arabia,” in which Trump touted the Saudi kingdom’s $450 billion investment in the U.S., $110 billion of which is spent “on the purchase of military equipment from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and many other great U.S. defense contractors.”
While he condemned Khashoggi’s killing, Trump said Tuesday it was difficult to prove Crown Prince Mohammed was involved in the death of the U.S. resident and Saudi royal court critic. The CIA, however, has reportedly concluded with “high confidence” that the crown prince is linked to the plot to murder Khashoggi during an Oct. 2 visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Trump’s belief in Saudi denials over the incident were “either gullible or disingenuous,” Clapper said Wednesday.
“And in either case, it doesn’t speak well of him,” he said of the president. “If anybody ought to be thanking anybody, it ought to be Mohammed bin Salman thanking the president for giving him a pass.”
Clapper served former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H. W. Bush.
