Ruddy: Throw Out the Saudis With the Bathwater?

It has been a month since the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and questions still need answers.

But as we get those answers, cool heads also must prevail here.

Saudi Arabia has been a long and consistent ally of the United States, and we should not throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.

But for some that seems to be the intent.

Without doubt, Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, suffered a grisly murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

A lead editorial in the Post, justifiably, is demanding answers.

But the Post editorial board also did something reprehensible, labeling the Trump administration "de facto accomplices" to the murder.

A serious allegation and one without basis of fact.

Emotions are strong, but we still need to stick to facts.

A senior White House official tells me part of the problem is much of the information about the case comes from the Turkish government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan himself has been accused of arresting and torturing thousands of political opponents. There are allegations of murder as well.

Turkey has also aligned itself against Saudi Arabia as Erdogan is estranged from both the U.S. and NATO.

He has found friends in Moscow and Tehran.

The official tells me the president's position starts with a strong condemnation of the killing.

But he is also weighed by the fact Saudi Arabia has been a close friend to the U.S. for so long.

The historical facts need to be recalled.

Saudi Arabia has been critical to U.S. interests since the end of World War II.

Perhaps the most seismic event in the post-World War II era was the collapse of the Soviet Union.

One just needs to read Peter Schweizer's "Victory" to find out how President Ronald Reagan and his CIA director, William J. Casey, engineered the collapse of the Evil Empire.

Key to their strategy was Saudi Arabia. The Saudis partnered with the U.S. in an economic war against the Soviets. They dramatically increased oil production, causing prices to drop.

This was not in the financial interest of the Saudis, but they did it.

Lower oil prices depleted the Soviets of their primary cash revenues that flowed from Azerbaijan and other regions.

Out of money, the Soviet empire was finished and the Berlin Wall came crashing down.

Today, the Saudis have partnered with the U.S. in confronting Iran.

The young Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, on this point, has been a good and forceful ally.

He grasps the potential danger of Iran as a regional power, potentially with nuclear arms. He has been a bulwark against Iran's support of radical Islam, as it backs terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

While the prince has been blamed, it is still not clear who ordered the killings. The Saudis need to give those answers.

But sanctions against the Saudis, which the Post called for, are premature.

The administration and Congress will review this matter, as they should.

They should also probe the increasing use of extra-judicial killings by countries around the world, including the U.S.

Since the war on terror began almost two decades ago, our military has used drone strikes to kill terrorists and sometimes innocent victims.

We need to hit the pause button on the emotional response as we get answers and take appropriate steps.

The first step should be encouraging the Saudis to make reforms that ensure brutal killings like this do not happen again.

Christopher Ruddy is CEO of Newsmax, one of the country's leading conservative news outlets. Read more Christopher Ruddy Insider articles — Click Here Now.