CNN's Bakari Sellers said Wednesday that President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE "has been tougher on Jim Acosta" than a "ruthless heir to a dictatorship who has murdered an American journalist," Jamal Khashoggi.

The "ruthless heir" Sellers was referring is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who the CIA concluded ordered the operation to murder Khashoggi.

Trump refuted that conclusion, saying that while U.S. intelligence continue to assess all information, "it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!"

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The president's comment has drawn considerable criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.

"I think there are two questions," Sellers, a former Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, told CNN anchor Jim Scuitto on Wednesday. "One is a political question and one is a moral question.

"The moral question is, the simple fact that Donald Trump has been tougher on Jim Acosta and Abby Phillip than he has on a dictator, ruthless heir to a dictatorship who has murdered an American journalist," he continued before later adding. "So I think that’s a bipartisan, moral question ... which we all need to ask ourselves: When are Republicans especially going to stand up and say enough is enough?"

"And I think that we’re actually giving the President of the United States slightly too much credit here. I don’t think he’s manipulating norms. I think he’s flatly ignorant of them," Sellers concluded. "I don’t think he understands processes. I don’t think he knows any better."

Trump said in a statement on Tuesday that "the United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia" despite the murder Khashoggi, citing economic reasons.

Sellers, 34, signed with CNN in 2015 and serves as a political commentator.