The top US diplomat added a caveat that he and Trump have been underscoring frequently in the last few days. "We have a long strategic relationship with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Pompeo said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Thursday that after consulting with Trump and Pompeo, he would not attend a high-level investment conference in Saudi Arabia. He has also insisted he is not giving "cover" to Saudi Arabia to come up with an explanation. While Trump insisted this week he has no financial interests in Saudi Arabia, he has boasted publicly about money he's made from Saudi property investors and Saudis have poured money into Trump Hotels since the President's election.

Source: CNN October 18, 2018 12:22 UTC