Thomas Barrack, a close friend of President Donald Trump, defended Saudi Arabia when questioned about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Gulf News is reporting.
Barrack’s comments came while speaking at a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Referencing the Khashoggi slaying, Barrack is quoted as saying: “Whatever happened in Saudi Arabia, the atrocities in America are equal, or worse…
“The atrocities in any...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 into 2030, I think is a mistake.”
At one point, he referred to the murder as the “Khashoggi incident.”
According to the newspaper, he said the West has always been confused about the Middle East.
“So, the West is confused, it doesn’t understand the rule of law in the kingdom, it doesn’t understand what succession in the kingdom is. It doesn’t understand how there can be a dilemma with a population that has 60 percent of people under the age of 20.”
U.S. intelligence agencies believe Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi, a critic and Washington Post columnist.
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