Haley: ‘We need to have a serious, hard talk with the Saudis’

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Wednesday said that a “serious, hard talk with the Saudis” is needed over the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“I think we need to have a serious, hard talk with the Saudis to let them know we won’t condone this,” Haley said in an appearance on NBC’s “Today” Show.

{mosads}”We won’t give you a pass and don’t do this again.”

Haley also noted the strategic importance of Saudi Arabia, despite the belief from the U.S. intelligence community that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the October killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul.

“The Saudis have been our partner in defeating and dealing with Iran and that has been hugely important,” she explained. 

“I think we need to have a serious, hard talk with the Saudis to let them know we won’t condone this. We won’t give you a pass and don’t do this again,” @nikkihaley talks murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi pic.twitter.com/bMxaD7NQUS

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 12, 2018

The Senate is set to vote Wednesday on a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Many Republican senators have said that they will support the measure as a message to the kingdom.

Haley, who will leave the ambassador post at the end of the year and be replaced with State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, then brushed off a question about White House adviser Jared Kushner’s relationship with the crown prince.

“We have relationships with lots of countries and our goal is to make those relationships better,” Haley said.

“In reference to Jared, I mean those rumors fly all the time. We have relationships with lots of countries, and our goal is to make those relationships better.” @nikkihaley responds to reports about Trump’s belief about Crown involvement in Khashoggi’s murder pic.twitter.com/F2tRaRE7jx

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 12, 2018