尽管唐纳德·特朗普总统坚定不移地支持沙特阿拉伯，此前他称沙特阿拉伯为“伟大的盟友”，但共和党人继续反击利雅得，共和党参议员约翰·巴拉索(John Barasso)周四指责沙特“完全违反”美国价值观。
在面试在有线电视新闻网上报刊阅览室怀俄明州的巴拉索说，他正与国会其他成员共同发起立法，要求沙特阿拉伯对其恶意行为负责。
“我们需要重新评估我们与沙特阿拉伯的长期关系，”参议员说。
巴拉索承认，华盛顿在中东问题上与利雅得密切合作仍有“战略利益”，特朗普长期以来一直用这一点来为其政府对两国关系的大力支持辩护。然而，这位参议员辩称，沙特阿拉伯“完全违反”了“我们的美国价值观”，特别是挑出沙特王国事实上的统治者，王储穆罕默德·本·萨尔曼。
2018年3月20日，华盛顿特区，唐纳德·特朗普总统在白宫与沙特王储穆罕默德·本·萨尔曼握手曼德尔·NGAN/法新社
共和党议员表示，与沙特保持联系很重要，但他呼吁政府重新评估“这种关系是如何运作的”
几位著名的共和党议员一直高度批评特朗普继续支持沙特阿拉伯，尤其是在2018年10月美国居民和华盛顿邮报记者贾迈勒·哈肖吉(Jamal Khashoggi)在土耳其伊斯坦布尔的王国领事馆内被沙特特工用骨锯杀死并肢解。Khashoggi去外交办公室为他即将到来的婚姻获取文件。
利雅得起初否认知道这名记者的下落，但后来，在国际社会强烈反对后，承认他被沙特特工杀害。沙特领导人试图与这起谋杀保持距离，称这是一次流氓行动。但是情报报告强烈暗示，王国的王储几乎肯定知道，甚至很可能下令进行这次行动。
参议员林赛·格雷厄姆是南卡罗来纳州的共和党人，也是特朗普的经常盟友最突出的声音呼吁问责。他与国会的其他共和党人和民主党人一起，推动结束美国对沙特领导的也门战争的支持，这场战争始于前总统巴拉克·奥巴马的政府。然而，特朗普阻止了这些努力，对参议院和众议院通过的一项决议行使否决权。沙特领导的那场战争已经造成数千人死亡创建了一个最坏的人道主义危机在现代史上。
2018年10月8日，一名示威者装扮成沙特阿拉伯王储穆罕默德·本·萨尔曼，双手沾满鲜血，在华盛顿特区沙特大使馆外抗议吉姆·沃森/法新社
特朗普有反复辩护沙特王国和王储。他辩称，沙特已经承诺在美国武器上花费数十亿美元，美国依赖这个石油丰富的国家来保持全球原油价格低廉。总统说，如果美国停止向沙特阿拉伯出售武器，或者削减支持，它只会转向俄罗斯和中国。随着与伊朗的紧张局势加剧，特朗普还辩称，伊朗是对抗波斯湾国家的重要地区制衡力量。
但是一些著名的共和党人不同意特朗普的观点。
“沙特阿拉伯发生的事情不正常，”格雷厄姆上个月断言。
“沙特阿拉伯没有石油流出，伊朗也没有威胁让我退缩，”他说。
GOP SENATOR BLASTS TRUMP'S 'GREAT ALLY' SAUDI ARABIA, SAYS KINGDOM IS IN 'COMPLETE VIOLATION' OF U.S. VALUES
Despite President Donald Trump's unwavering support for Saudi Arabia, which he has previously referred to as "a great ally," Republicans have continued to push back against Riyadh, with GOP Senator John Barasso on Thursday excoriating the kingdom for being in "complete violation" of U.S. values.
In an interview on CNN's Newsroom, Barasso, of Wyoming, said that he was co-sponsoring legislation along with other members of Congress to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its malign actions.
"We need to reevaluate our long-term relationship with Saudi Arabia," said the senator.
Barasso admitted that Washington still has a "strategic interest" in working closely with Riyadh on Middle Eastern issues, which Trump has long used as a defense of his administration's strong support for the relationship. However, the senator argued that Saudi Arabia was "in compete violation" of "our American values," specifically singling out the kingdom's de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on March 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C.MANDEL NGAN/AFP
The GOP lawmaker said that it was important to maintain ties with the kingdom, but he called on the government to reevaluate "how that relationship works."
Several prominent Republican lawmakers have been highly critical of Trump's continued support for Saudi Arabia, particularly following the grisly October 2018 murder of U.S. resident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed and dismembered with a bone saw by Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi had visited the diplomatic office to acquire documents for his impending marriage.
Riyadh initially denied knowing anything about the journalist's whereabouts, but later, after intense international backlash, admitted that he had been killed by Saudi agents. Saudi leaders have attempted to distance themselves from the murder, arguing it was a rogue operation. But intelligence reports have strongly suggested that the kingdom's crown prince was almost certainly aware, and quite likely even ordered the operation to be carried out.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and frequent Trump ally, has been one of the most prominent voices calling for accountability. He has pushed, along with other Republicans and Democrats in Congress, to end U.S. support for the controversial Saudi-led war in Yemen, which began under the administration of former President Barack Obama. Trump, however, has blocked those efforts, using his veto power against a resolution passed by the Senate and the House. That Saudi-led war has left thousands of dead and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history.
A demonstrator dressed as Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with blood on his hands protests outside the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. on October 8, 2018JIM WATSON/AFP
Trump has repeatedly defended the Saudi kingdom and the crown prince. He has argued that Saudis have committed spending billions on American weapons and that the U.S. depends on the oil-rich nation to keep global crude prices low. The president has said that if the U.S. stops selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, or cuts support, it will simply turn to Russia and China instead. As tensions flare with Iran, Trump has also argued that the kingdom serves as an important regional counterweight against the Persian Gulf nation.
But some prominent Republicans disagreed with Trump's arguments.
"What's happening in Saudi Arabia is not normal," Graham asserted last month.
"There's no amount of oil coming out of Saudi Arabia and there's no threat from Iran that will get me to back off," he said.
