Donald Trump is facing a growing backlash from senior Republicans over his open show of support for Saudi Arabia, and his volatile behaviour.

The US President yesterday released a statement entitled "America First!", calling Saudi Arabia "a great ally" and explaining that they were spending hundreds of billions buying arms from the States.

"I'm pretty sure this statement is Saudi Arabia First, not America First," said Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, adding: "I will continue to press for legislation to stop the Saudi arms sales and the war in Yemen."

Chief Justice John Roberts also pushed back on Mr Trump for his description of a judge who ruled against his migrant asylum policy as an "Obama judge."

It is the first time the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary has criticised the US President, who has attacked federal judges who ruled against him before.

In the face of mounting evidence Saudi Arabia's royals knew of the plot to murder Jamal Khashoggi, members of Mr Trump's party appear unable to remain silent.

Tennessee senator Bob Corker blasted the President, writing: "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."

Mr Trump's statement placed the blame for the humanitarian crisis with Iran rather than Saudi Arabia.

Former presidential nominee and Utah senator-elect Mitt Romney said the statement written by the President and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was "inconsistent with an enduring foreign policy, with our national interest, with basic human rights, and with American greatness."

Even before the statement, he had said: "America can't excuse & minimize the brutal & gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident & columnist. Our country is defined by human values, by principle above convenience, & by commitment to morality. We must subject the perpetrators of this outrage to withering sanction."

The statement emerged just as it was reported that the CIA had concluded the assassination of the Washington Post columnist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr Trump said the US would remain a "steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia while admitting the Crown Prince "could very well" have known in advance about the plan.

"Maybe he did and maybe he didn't," wrote Mr Trump. "We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham also issued a warning to the President on Twitter. "One thing I learned during the Obama years is that when you look the other way regarding problems in the Middle East, it seldom works out," he wrote.

Another former White House aide this week announced he was releasing a tell-all memoir about the "Team of Vipers" in the chaotic West Wing. Meanwhile, a Trump-backed criminal justice reform bill is hitting a major roadblock in the Senate, despite the GOP majority. Conservatives believe the bill will make the party appear soft on crime, with one senator warning it would mean the early release of "dangerous, repeat felons".

Another fired back that the warning was "fake news", and demanded to see the bill on the senate floor, ushering in a public battle that will only look like evidence of disunity.

The President is also battling embarrassment over daughter and adviser Ivanka using her personal account for government emails, which saw him accused of hypocrisy after his vicious attacks on Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server.</s>Donald Trump offered a very public “thank you” to Saudi Arabia for low oil prices just one day after refusing to condemn the kingdom for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

On Tuesday, Trump seemed to go against the assessment of the CIA in declaring that he was unsure of whether Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman ordered the killing of the Washington Post journalist. Trump released a statement refusing to condemn the country — and to risk losing Saudi investments — and said it was ultimately undetermined whether the crown prince personally ordered Khashoggi to be killed.

Trump doubled down via Twitter in his support of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, tweeting a congratulation about low oil prices that personally thanked the kingdom.

“Oil prices getting lower. Great!” he tweeted. “Like a big Tax Cut for America and the World. Enjoy! $54, was just $82. Thank you to Saudi Arabia, but let’s go lower!”

As the Independent noted, there is plenty of doubt as to whether Saudi Arabia did anything to lower worldwide oil prices.

The report added that Donald Trump seems to be hoping that a focus on oil prices will take attention away from his denials about Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Despite a report from the New York Times that the CIA found his murder came at the direct order of Crown Prince Mohammad, Trump seemed to refuse to accept this assessment in a statement released Tuesday.

“It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event,” Trump said in a statement (via the Associated Press). “Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”

Many had been calling on Donald Trump to come down hard on Saudi Arabia, despite signs that Trump would not. Just after it was revealed that Khashoggi had been murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Trump said he did not want to risk a multi-billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Trump had also praised Saudi Arabia for its investments in his own companies, saying they would pay upward of $40 million or $50 million to buy condos from his company.

But experts have also said that Donald Trump is overvaluing the investments Saudi Arabia has made, noting that the arms deal is well below the $100 billion mark that Trump has repeatedly claimed.</s>Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a session of the Shura Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia November 19, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark has suspended future approvals of weapons and military equipment exports to Saudi Arabia in response to the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist and the kingdom’s role in the conflict in Yemen, the Danish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Germany has already suspended issuing future weapons export licenses and has moved to halt all arms sales, while France said on Monday said it will decide soon on sanctions over Khashoggi’s killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month.

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s biggest weapons importers. It heads a military coalition fighting in a civil war in Yemen in which tens of thousands of people have died and caused a major humanitarian catastrophe.

“With the continued deterioration of the already terrible situation in Yemen and the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, we are now in a new situation,” said Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen in a statement.

Denmark issued ten such approvals last year, according to the ministry. Already given approvals will not be suspended, a spokesman said.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised Saudi Arabia for helping to lower oil prices but pressure intensified for the United States to impose tougher sanctions on its Middle East ally over Khashoggi’s murder.</s>Donald Trump is facing a growing backlash from senior Republicans over his open show of support for Saudi Arabia, and his volatile behaviour.

The US President yesterday released a statement entitled "America First!", calling Saudi Arabia "a great ally" and explaining that they were spending hundreds of billions buying arms from the States.

"I'm pretty sure this statement is Saudi Arabia First, not America First," said Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, adding: "I will continue to press for legislation to stop the Saudi arms sales and the war in Yemen."

Chief Justice John Roberts also pushed back on Mr Trump for his description of a judge who ruled against his migrant asylum policy as an "Obama judge."

It is the first time the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary has criticised the US President, who has attacked federal judges who ruled against him before.

In the face of mounting evidence Saudi Arabia's royals knew of the plot to murder Jamal Khashoggi, members of Mr Trump's party appear unable to remain silent.

Tennessee senator Bob Corker blasted the President, writing: "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."

Mr Trump's statement placed the blame for the humanitarian crisis with Iran rather than Saudi Arabia.

Former presidential nominee and Utah senator-elect Mitt Romney said the statement written by the President and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was "inconsistent with an enduring foreign policy, with our national interest, with basic human rights, and with American greatness."

Even before the statement, he had said: "America can't excuse & minimize the brutal & gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident & columnist. Our country is defined by human values, by principle above convenience, & by commitment to morality. We must subject the perpetrators of this outrage to withering sanction."

The statement emerged just as it was reported that the CIA had concluded the assassination of the Washington Post columnist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr Trump said the US would remain a "steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia while admitting the Crown Prince "could very well" have known in advance about the plan.

"Maybe he did and maybe he didn't," wrote Mr Trump. "We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham also issued a warning to the President on Twitter. "One thing I learned during the Obama years is that when you look the other way regarding problems in the Middle East, it seldom works out," he wrote.

Another former White House aide this week announced he was releasing a tell-all memoir about the "Team of Vipers" in the chaotic West Wing. Meanwhile, a Trump-backed criminal justice reform bill is hitting a major roadblock in the Senate, despite the GOP majority. Conservatives believe the bill will make the party appear soft on crime, with one senator warning it would mean the early release of "dangerous, repeat felons".

Another fired back that the warning was "fake news", and demanded to see the bill on the senate floor, ushering in a public battle that will only look like evidence of disunity.

The President is also battling embarrassment over daughter and adviser Ivanka using her personal account for government emails, which saw him accused of hypocrisy after his vicious attacks on Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server.</s>Donald Trump is facing a growing backlash from senior Republicans over his open show of support for Saudi Arabia, and his volatile behaviour.

The US President yesterday released a statement entitled "America First!", calling Saudi Arabia "a great ally" and explaining that they were spending hundreds of billions buying arms from the States.

"I'm pretty sure this statement is Saudi Arabia First, not America First," said Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, adding: "I will continue to press for legislation to stop the Saudi arms sales and the war in Yemen."

Chief Justice John Roberts also pushed back on Mr Trump for his description of a judge who ruled against his migrant asylum policy as an "Obama judge."

It is the first time the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary has criticised the US President, who has attacked federal judges who ruled against him before.

In the face of mounting evidence Saudi Arabia's royals knew of the plot to murder Jamal Khashoggi, members of Mr Trump's party appear unable to remain silent.

Tennessee senator Bob Corker blasted the President, writing: "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."

Mr Trump's statement placed the blame for the humanitarian crisis with Iran rather than Saudi Arabia.

Former presidential nominee and Utah senator-elect Mitt Romney said the statement written by the President and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was "inconsistent with an enduring foreign policy, with our national interest, with basic human rights, and with American greatness."

Even before the statement, he had said: "America can't excuse & minimize the brutal & gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident & columnist. Our country is defined by human values, by principle above convenience, & by commitment to morality. We must subject the perpetrators of this outrage to withering sanction."

The statement emerged just as it was reported that the CIA had concluded the assassination of the Washington Post columnist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr Trump said the US would remain a "steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia while admitting the Crown Prince "could very well" have known in advance about the plan.

"Maybe he did and maybe he didn't," wrote Mr Trump. "We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham also issued a warning to the President on Twitter. "One thing I learned during the Obama years is that when you look the other way regarding problems in the Middle East, it seldom works out," he wrote.

Another former White House aide this week announced he was releasing a tell-all memoir about the "Team of Vipers" in the chaotic West Wing. Meanwhile, a Trump-backed criminal justice reform bill is hitting a major roadblock in the Senate, despite the GOP majority. Conservatives believe the bill will make the party appear soft on crime, with one senator warning it would mean the early release of "dangerous, repeat felons".

Another fired back that the warning was "fake news", and demanded to see the bill on the senate floor, ushering in a public battle that will only look like evidence of disunity.

The President is also battling embarrassment over daughter and adviser Ivanka using her personal account for government emails, which saw him accused of hypocrisy after his vicious attacks on Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server.</s>Donald Trump is facing a growing backlash from senior Republicans over his open show of support for Saudi Arabia, and his volatile behaviour.

The US President yesterday released a statement entitled "America First!", calling Saudi Arabia "a great ally" and explaining that they were spending hundreds of billions buying arms from the States.

"I'm pretty sure this statement is Saudi Arabia First, not America First," said Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, adding: "I will continue to press for legislation to stop the Saudi arms sales and the war in Yemen."

Chief Justice John Roberts also pushed back on Mr Trump for his description of a judge who ruled against his migrant asylum policy as an "Obama judge."

It is the first time the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary has criticised the US President, who has attacked federal judges who ruled against him before.

In the face of mounting evidence Saudi Arabia's royals knew of the plot to murder Jamal Khashoggi, members of Mr Trump's party appear unable to remain silent.

Tennessee senator Bob Corker blasted the President, writing: "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."

Mr Trump's statement placed the blame for the humanitarian crisis with Iran rather than Saudi Arabia.

Former presidential nominee and Utah senator-elect Mitt Romney said the statement written by the President and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was "inconsistent with an enduring foreign policy, with our national interest, with basic human rights, and with American greatness."

Even before the statement, he had said: "America can't excuse & minimize the brutal & gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident & columnist. Our country is defined by human values, by principle above convenience, & by commitment to morality. We must subject the perpetrators of this outrage to withering sanction."

The statement emerged just as it was reported that the CIA had concluded the assassination of the Washington Post columnist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr Trump said the US would remain a "steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia while admitting the Crown Prince "could very well" have known in advance about the plan.

"Maybe he did and maybe he didn't," wrote Mr Trump. "We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham also issued a warning to the President on Twitter. "One thing I learned during the Obama years is that when you look the other way regarding problems in the Middle East, it seldom works out," he wrote.

Another former White House aide this week announced he was releasing a tell-all memoir about the "Team of Vipers" in the chaotic West Wing. Meanwhile, a Trump-backed criminal justice reform bill is hitting a major roadblock in the Senate, despite the GOP majority. Conservatives believe the bill will make the party appear soft on crime, with one senator warning it would mean the early release of "dangerous, repeat felons".

Another fired back that the warning was "fake news", and demanded to see the bill on the senate floor, ushering in a public battle that will only look like evidence of disunity.

The President is also battling embarrassment over daughter and adviser Ivanka using her personal account for government emails, which saw him accused of hypocrisy after his vicious attacks on Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server.</s>But the Nordic country is a tiny arms exporter on the world map when compared with players such as France, the UK or the United States — Saudi Arabia's largest source of arms.

Copenhagen's decision will likely get European states discussing the matter especially after the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution last month pressing for a European Union-wide arms embargo on Saudi Arabia.

Denmark's decision follows Germany's announcement on the suspension of future weapons export licences earlier this month and has moved to stop all arms sales to the Middle East kingdom.

Which European countries supply the most arms to Saudi Arabia?

France exports the most weapons to Saudi Arabia, according to the most recent figures (2016) from the European Union.

Germany, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria all made sales of over €100 million to Saudi Arabia, according to the value of licences issued in 2016.

The table below shows the top 10 values of arms exports sent to Saudi Arabia from EU countries in 2016.

Are other EU countries considering suspending arms exports to Saudi Arabia?

French President Emmanuel Macron last month refused to take questions about halting arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite Germany's calls on its EU partners to follow its example and suspend exports to the kingdom.

But France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday Paris would impose sanctions against 18 Saudi citizens over the killing of Khashoggi. The 18 Saudis will be put on the country's entry ban list, Le Drian said.

Saudi Arabia is France’s largest market in the Middle East, even without arms sales. French exports to the Gulf nation totalled almost €4 billion ($4.61 billion) between September 2017 to August 2018, according to economy ministry data.

Previously the top exporter of arms to Saudi Arabia, the UK government has faced mounting pressure over their sales to the Middle Eastern country in previous years.

Despite issuing a joint statement with France and Germany on Sunday condemning the killing of journalists as unacceptable, the UK has not announced an arms freeze.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said it was a "terrible case" but that Britain would not "overreact" and was “not throwing our hands in the air” because thousands of jobs depended on relations with the country.

Spain, has also not suspended exports to Saudi Arabia, despite expressing "consternation" over Khashoggi’s death.

Saudi Arabia was Spain’s third-best weapons customer in the 2013-2017 period, according to the El Pais newspaper.

Back in September, Defence Minister Margarita Robles attempted to halt the sale of 400 guided missiles over concerns about their potential use in the Yemen War.

Yet the prime minister demanded that the transaction go ahead after Riyadh threatened to retaliate by ending a €1.8-billion contract with Spain. Workers also took to the streets in protest demanding their jobs be defended.

Norway, Switzerland, Finland and Greece have also announced the suspension of arms exports to Saudi Arabia over concerns around the Yemen conflict, Rasha Abdul Rahim, an arms control researcher at Amnesty International told Euronews.

"This is welcome news as vast amounts of arms and military equipment have contributed to serious violations by the Saudi Arabia and UAE-led coalition, including possible war crimes," Rahim said.

Will the United States suspend arms exports to Saudi Arabia?

Donald Trump's response to Khashoggi's death comes in stark contrast to Germany — shortly after news of the journalist's death, the US president said he did not want to ruin a "tremendous order" of weapons from Saudi Arabia, and that "some form of sanction" would be preferable.

Trump has heralded Saudi Arabia's purchase of $110 billion worth of US arms in 2017, although experts claim this figure was inflated and some parts of the deal appear to still be up in the air.

The President condemned the killing of Khashoggi last month and said Saudi officials had engaged in the "worst cover-up ever."

Trump's administration imposed a penalty on Saudi Arabia, revoking visas for the agents implicated in the killing.

How did Saudi Arabia respond to Khashoggi's killing?

The killing of Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government and a columnist at The Washington Post, sparked an international concern over Saudi Arabia's conduct and raised questions about whether the kingdom's crown prince and de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, was involved in the plot.

Last month, the Saudi Press Agency released photos of the Saudi monarch, King Salman, and the crown prince with Khashoggi's son and another member of his family.

The kingdom's foreign ministry wrote on Twitter that Saudi Arabia's leaders shared "their deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of Jamal Khashoggi, may God rest his soul.”

Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Foreign Minister, said last month the kingdom was committed to "a comprehensive investigation" into Khashoggi's death.</s>WASHINGTON — The Latest on the fallout from the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (all times local):

Denmark is halting exports of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, citing “the continued worsening of the already terrible situation in Yemen and the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”

Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said the kingdom “right now is simply destructive in many fields.” He spoke in a live television interview on Thursday.

Samuelsen says he hoped “the Danish decision can create further momentum and get more European Union countries to support tight implementation of the EU’s regulatory framework in this area.”

The ban would also include so-called dual-use exports of items that can be used both for military and civilian purposes.

In 2017, Denmark’s overall exports to Saudi Arabia were of 5.08 billion kroner ($763 million), according to the Danish Chamber of Commerce.

President Donald Trump’s embrace of Saudi Arabia has exposed a foreign policy rift in the Republican Party, as some of his GOP colleagues warn that not punishing the kingdom for its role in killing a U.S.-based columnist will have dangerous consequences.

Many Republicans — even Sens. Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul, who share their views on the matter with the president — have denounced Trump’s decision not to levy harsher penalties on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the death and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Wednesday that he was “astounded” by Trump’s statement and likened it to a press release for Saudi Arabia.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended Trump’s decision, saying the U.S. has already placed sanctions on 17 Saudi officials suspected of involvement in the Oct. 2 killing of The Washington Post columnist, who had been critical of the royal family.</s>Finland announced late on Thursday it will block new arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, citing the murder of a Saudi journalist and the countries' role in Yemen's humanitarian crisis.

The suspension mirrors earlier decisions by Denmark, Norway and Germany to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia for the time being over the killing and over the kingdom's part in Yemen's war which has left 14 million people facing starvation, according to the U.N.

"The situation in Yemen was behind this decision, but of course (the murder of Khashoggi) was part of the overall rationale," Prime Minister Juha Sipila told state broadcaster Yle.

A Saudi and Emirati-led coalition has been conducting air strikes on Yemen since 2015. U.N. investigators have accused the regimes of possible war crimes, including killing thousands of civilians, torturing detainees and recruiting child soldiers.

In September the website News Now Finland uncovered video evidence that Finnish-made armoured vehicles, some fitted with Russian heavy weapons, were being used by Emirati forces in western Yemen, the scene of some of the war's fiercest fighting.

Finland had claimed that all weapons exports to the region were in line with EU rules.

Finnish arms exports to Saudi Arabia totalled 5.3 million euros in 2017, down considerably from 51.4m of sales in 2014, according to the think tank SaferGlobe.

On Thursday Sipila described the situation in Yemen as "catastrophic".

"Any existing licenses (in the region) are old, and in these circumstances we would absolutely not be able to grant any new ones," he said.

At the time, Berlin called for EU countries to follow its lead, prompting a dismissive response from French President Emmanuel Macron.

On Monday, Germany decided to bar 18 Saudis from entering its territory and Europe's Schengen passport-free zone over their alleged links to the murder of the US-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, who wrote for The Washington Post and had been critical of Prince Mohammed, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, killed and reportedly dismembered.

After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the U.S. media went further, reportedly pointing the finger at the crown prince.</s>Copenhagen — On Thursday, Denmark suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the second country to do so after Germany.

"The foreign ministry is suspending all sales of weapons and military equipment to Saudi Arabia," foreign minister Anders Samuelsen said.

"I hope that the Danish decision can create additional momentum," he added.

A foreign ministry spokesperson said Copenhagen was not considering other sanctions for the moment.

On Monday, Germany decided to bar 18 Saudis from entering its territory and Europe's Schengen passport-free zone over their alleged links to the murder.

In October, Berlin called for EU countries to follow its lead and suspend arms sales to Saudi Araiba for the time being, prompting a dismissive response from French President Emmanuel Macron.

Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been critical of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, killed and reportedly dismembered.

After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, reportedly pointing the finger at the crown prince.

Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Wednesday that criticism of Bin Salman was a "red line", and that calls for him to be held accountable for the grisly killing would not be tolerated.
Denmark suspends future weapons export licenses to Saudi Arabia in response to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.