RNA - The "ruthless heir" Sellers was referring is Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS), who the CIA concluded ordered the operation to murder Khashoggi.
The American leader refuted that conclusion, saying while US 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!"
Trump'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, saying, "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 that "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, noting that "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.
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