Trump statement sticks with Saudis, hyping economic benefits of alliance

Defense News: President Donald Trump released a lengthy statement Tuesday justifying the U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia by focusing on domestic economic benefits and the threat from Iran — and saying he does not know whether Saudi leaders ordered a journalist’s murder.

In the White House statement, Trump repeated disputed claims he won $110 billion in U.S.-Saudi arms deals as he signaled he will not move to take stronger action against Saudi Arabia since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and amid the civilian deaths from Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen’s civil war.

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