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Founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network says arms deal is more important than Khashoggi

“You’ve got one journalist — who knows?”
Founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network says arms deal is more important than Khashoggi

What would Jesus do? Not risk a big arms deal, apparently.

Pat Robertson, the prominent evangelical and founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, said Monday on " The 700 Club" that Americans shouldn’t bother themselves over the likely murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate because the American arms deal with Saudi Arabia is more important.

“You’ve got $100 billion worth of arms sales,” said Robertson. “We cannot alienate our biggest player in the Middle East.”

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Robertson went on to speculate about the fate of the permanent U.S. resident and vocal critic of the Saudi royal family who disappeared two weeks ago inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he was trying to obtain documents to marry his fiancée.

“You’ve got one journalist — who knows?” Robertson said, as originally reported by Vox. “Was it an interrogation? Was he assassinated? Were there rogue elements? Who did it?”

According to Turkish officials, Khashoggi was dismembered and beheaded within minutes of entering the facility. But according to Robertson, none of it matters: he instead pointed to Iran as the more significant threat to the U.S. in the Middle East.

“These people are key allies,” Robertson said of Saudi Arabia. “I don’t think on this issue we need pull sanctions and get tough. I just think it’s a mistake.”

Cover image: UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Pat Robertson arrives for the 25th annual Movieguide Awards - Faith and Family Gala at Universal Hilton Hotel on February 10, 2017 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Gabriel Olsen/WireImage)