THE KING AND I

Pompeo Shakes Hands With Saudi Crown Prince, Thanks King for ‘Thorough’ Khashoggi Investigation

Secretary of state makes nice as others shun royal family accused of conspiring to kill WaPo writer.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was photographed smiling and shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, and thanked Saudi King Salman for what he called a “thorough” investigation into the disappearance of writer Jamal Khashoggi. While many have shunned association with Saudi Arabia over the Washington Post columnist’s vanishing from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago, the Trump administration appears keen on maintain close ties with the kingdom’s ruling family. Pompeo thanked King Salman for his “commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation” and also for “Saudi Arabia’s strong partnership with the United States” during what the AP described as a 15-minute meeting. Meanwhile on Tuesday morning’s Fox & Friends, Sen. Lindsey Grahan described the crown prince as “a wrecking ball. He had [Khashoggi] murdered... the MBS figure is toxic. He can never be a world leader... This guy’s got to go. Saudi Arabia, if you’re listening, MBS has tainted your country.”