Former ambassador to Saudi Arabia mocks Trump for 'wide-eyed acceptance' of King Salman's denial on CNN

Robert Jordan, a former American ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Monday that President Donald Trump sounded foolish for seemingly buying the Saudi government's blanket denial of any role in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In particular, Jordan recalled that the Saudi government had lied to his face when confronted about the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 terrorist attacks were Saudi citizens.

"Let's remember, this is the same King Salman who told me after 9/11 that the 9/11 attacks were an Israeli plot," he said. "He said that firmly. Did I believe that? Of course not. I don't think you can go in with wide-eyed acceptance of anything some of these world leaders say."

Jordan went on to say that it was possible that King Salman himself didn't have knowledge of an alleged plot to murder Khashoggi -- but he emphasized that it's inconceivable that Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman had no knowledge of it. He also said that the Saudi government's delays in granting access to the embassy have made it harder for investigators to learn the truth.

Watch the video below.