Stephanie Keith/Reuters
Tom Barrack, a close friend of President Donald Trump, apologized for defending the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in a Wednesday statement. “The killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was atrocious and inexcusable. I apologize for not making this clear in my comments earlier this week,” Barrack wrote. “I feel strongly that the bad acts of a few should not be interpreted as a failure of an entire sovereign kingdom... I have always believed and continue to believe that the United States is the greatest country in the world but our history and our policies in the Middle East have been confusing at times.” According to Talking Points Memo, Barrack defended the murder during a Tuesday panel discussion in Abu Dhabi. “[W]hatever happened in Saudi Arabia, the atrocities in America are equal, or worse,” Barrack reportedly said. “The atrocities in any autocratic country are dictated by the rule of law... So for us to dictate what we think is the moral code there, when we have a young man and regime that is trying to push themselves in to 2030, I think is a mistake.”