NBC’s Neely: Trump’s Khashoggi Statement a ‘Shrug’ and Gives a ‘Green Light’ to ‘Strongmen’ Around the World

EXCERPT:

NEELY: "So look, Ali, the President’s statement defending the Saudis has two effects. The first is the signal that it sends to dictators, to autocrats around the world. The statement was basically a shrug. Maybe the Crown Prince knew about it, maybe he didn’t. Shrug. He is giving the Crown Prince cover for murdering a Washington Post journalist and he's giving a green light I think to strongmen around the world. Murder your opponents. I’ll turn a blind eye and that won't be lost on, well, on Vladimir Putin, for example. But secondly, we know this was a test case for U.S. foreign policy and a moment when American values met murder and values lost. Trump has now firmly said this is a foreign policy of dollars and arms and oil and jobs. Has got nothing to do with values. It's America first. Values last. Show me the money. To hell with the consequences. That will create deep cracks in America’s alliance with the world, with London here where I’m speaking from, with Berlin, with Paris. The micro effect in the Middle East is I think just as dangerous in a way. The U.S. can’t be seen anymore and won’t be seen as any kind of independent go between. It is not — it has now tied itself to the Saudi Crown Prince, of course to Israel and it sees Iran as an enemy. Maybe there’s nothing new there but as Senator Bob Corker put it, this is a White House moonlighting as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince. And that’s a Republican Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a pretty remarkable swipe at a Republican president, Ali."