Liberal radio host Chris Hahn got very heated on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Friday while discussing how President Donald Trump should respond to the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey.
Saudi state media reported he died in their consulate in Turkey after getting in a fight. (RELATED: Jamal Khashoggi Is Dead, Saudi State Media Is Reporting)
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“We have a lot of leverage over Saudi Arabia, especially in their security in the Middle East. We need to insist that this man is not installed permanently on the throne. He is right now the crown prince,” Hahn stated.
“Oh! So we are going to — this is like foreign policy by cable news. My favorite kind. What happens when the Saudi kingdom, the royal family no longer controls their own country. What would happen if the Saudi royal family collapsed? What do you think the aftermath would look like?” Carlson responded.
“Last I checked there are 40 other princes in Saudi Arabia that they could choose from. In fact, M.B.S. wasn’t even originally in line for the throne and I don’t think it’s up to us to support dictators and terrorists,” Hahn fired back. “And I’m sorry, what he did to Khashoggi was not just about Khashoggi, it was about every journalist who threatened him anywhere in the world.”
“Please, save me the posturing. I want to know what the standards are here. So obviously journalists in China are killed far more often than they’re killed in Saudi Arabia. Obviously,” Carlson added.
A general manager of Alarab TV, Jamal Khashoggi, looks on during a press conference in the Bahraini capital Manama, on December 15, 2014. The pan-Arab satellite news broadcaster owned by billionaire Saudi businessman Alwaleed bin Talal will go on air February 1, promising to “break the mould” in a crowded field.( MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP/Getty Images)
“We should stand up for our values wherever they are threatened anywhere. Khashoggi was an American permanent resident and our law treats the permanent residents the same as it does citizens and the president should respond the same way,” Hahn countered. “He killed somebody under our protection. If the president doesn’t respond, it’s because he’s weak.”
“Cool it, cool it with the moral outrage. Okay? I think we are all a little sick of it,” Carlson demanded.
Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on October 2. The Washington Post published his final piece on Wednesday.
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