Corker: Saudi Crown Prince is ‘out of control’

Outgoing Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is “out of control,” citing the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

{mosads}”We also have a crown prince that’s out of control — a blockade in Qatar, the arrest of a prime minister in Lebanon, the killing of a journalist,” Corker told reporters.

“And whether there is a smoking gun, I don’t think there is anybody in the room that doesn’t believe he was responsible for it,” he added.

Corker: “We also have a crown prince that’s out-of-control — a blockade in Qatar, the arrest of a prime minister in Lebanon, the killing of a journalist — whether there is a smoking gun, I don’t think there is anybody in the room that doesn’t believe he was responsible for it.” pic.twitter.com/2GauUyDoXv

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) November 28, 2018

Corker has been critical of Saudi Arabia since agents of the kingdom killed Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, inside a Saudi Consulate in Turkey last month.

Corker has also criticized President Trump over his response to the killing, saying last week that the White House was acting like a “public relations firm” for the crown prince after Trump issued a statement defending the kingdom and casting doubt on whether the crown prince ordered the murder.

“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, a frequent critic of the president, wrote in a tweet at the time.

Trump has voiced doubts over whether the crown prince was aware in advance of plans to kill Khashoggi, saying in that statement that “maybe” he knew but “maybe he didn’t.”

The CIA reportedly has high confidence that the crown prince ordered the murder, though Trump has maintained that the CIA hasn’t reached any conclusions.

Corker did not run for reelection in 2018. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R) won the seat and will take office in the Senate in January.