Senator Graham: I will not deal with Riyadh before the departure of Mohammed bin Salman

Senior US Senator Lindsey Graham called for the departure of Saudi Crown Prince over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Graham said in a television interview that he would not deal with or go to Saudi Arabia as long as Mohammed bin Salman was crown prince.

The Republican senator, who is close to US President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News, vowed to impose the most severe sanctions on Riyadh if Mohammed bin Salman remained in office.

Senator Graham described the Saudi crown prince as a destruction machine that killed Khashoggi and a troubling figure, adding that he would not be a global leader, adding that Salman was behind the Saudi journalist's disappearance and possible liquidation inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

In response to attempts to acquit the Saudi Crown Prince of Khashoggi's decision to search for a scapegoat, Graham said: "Nothing happens in Saudi Arabia without the knowledge of Prince Salman."

"There are a lot of good people who can choose to lead, and Mohammed bin Salman has tarnished your country's reputation and reputation," Graham told the Saudis. "There is a difference between the country and the individual," he said, referring to Ibn Salman and Saudi Arabia.

The Republican senator said in an interview with Fox News that three of Khashoggi's US citizens came to his office and asked him for help because they were worried about their brother in Saudi Arabia. "We are not against the rogue murderers of Khashoggi, but in front of a rogue crown prince," Graham said.

Graham is one of the most influential senators in Congress on US foreign policy. He has always defended Saudi Arabia strongly in the corridors of the US legislature because it was a good ally, he said.

Mounting pressure
The Republican senator's comments came amid mounting pressure from US lawmakers to take action against Riyadh for involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance. Bloomberg quoted Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as saying certain measures needed to be taken after further details of Khashoggi's case were revealed.

"We are waiting to know Khashoggi's fate to make a decision," McConnell said in an interview with the US news agency.

US lawmakers and politicians have criticized what the US president referred to as "rogue killers" behind the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, asserting that the Saudi leadership is involved.

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator, said in a tweet that he heard that "the ridiculous rogue killers theory is what the Saudis are going to go to ... It's really amazing that they were able to recruit the president of the United States as a public relations agent to promote it."