Senate rebukes Trump, Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi, Yemen war

In back-to-back votes against Saudi Arabia, the Senate delivered an unusual rebuke of President Donald Trump's response to the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and signaled new skepticism from Capitol Hill toward the longtime Middle East ally.

Although the resolutions are largely symbolic because it's unclear if they will be considered by the House passage Thursday showed senators seeking to assert oversight of Trump administration foreign policy and the relationship with Saudi Arabia.

It also marked the collapse of the Trump administration's effort in the Senate to contain fallout from the gruesome killing.

One measure recommended that the US end its assistance to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen. The other put the blame for the death of Khashoggi squarely on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Both had been vigorously opposed by the Trump administration, threated with potential presidential veto, and top brass was on Capitol Hill ahead of voting to prevent further action in the House.

"The current relationship with Saudi Arabia is not working," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who opposed the Yemen resolution but called the crown prince "so toxic, so tainted, so flawed" after the Khashoggi's killing that "you're never going to have a relationship with the United States Senate unless things change."
Senators made clear where they put the blame. The resolution, passed by unanimous agreement, says the Senate believes the crown prince is "responsible for the murder" and calls for the Saudi Arabian government to "ensure appropriate accountability."
McConnell said senators have grave concerns about Khashoggi's killing, but "we also want to preserve a 70-year partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and we want to ensure it continues to serve American interests and stabilizes a dangerous and critical region."
But McConnell encouraged passage of the Khashoggi resolution and said it provided "a clear and unambiguous message about how we feel about what happened to this journalist."