Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker says Saudi Crown Prince

Mohammad bin Salman is “out of control” and hopes he can be brought back in control before the Senate votes to rebuke the Kingdom.

With President Donald Trump and the prince both in Argentina for the G20 summit this weekend, Corker said in an interview with Roll Call on Thursday that he hopes the Trump administration can get the U.S. relationship with the kingdom into “balance” before the Senate is back voting, and before he has to contemplate voting to proceed to a floor debate on a joint resolution designed to stop American support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen.

The Tennessee Republican said in an interview that a message needed to be sent, with American values not having played enough of a role in dealings with the Saudis recently.

“To me, we’ve got a relationship with a country that’s a semi-important country and a semi-important ally. I wouldn’t elevate them beyond that,” Corker said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to hit the right note here so we don’t have a 33-year-old crown prince who may be in power for 40 years continuing to conduct himself in the manner that he’s demonstrated.”

“I believe he’s out of control, personally. The blockade in Qatar was to me ham-handed and ill-thought out,” Corker said. “The arrest of a prime minister in Lebanon, a friend of mine — or an acquaintance I would say, to me was again a rookie mistake.”