TOKYO _ As reports mount about Saudi Arabia arresting Saudi princes, including a prominent billionaire investor, President Donald Trump and his administration said nothing about the ruling family's purge even after he spoke with the king late Saturday on other matters.
It is unclear if the arrests in Saudi Arabia were part of an anti-corruption investigation or a move by King Salman to consolidate power around his own family, or both. Among the princes and current and former ministers arrested was Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the Middle East's richest people, with large investments in numerous U.S. and global companies.
Trump repeatedly has expressed his admiration for the Saudi monarch and has promised to support Saudi Arabia's moves against Iran in the region.
He spoke to the king from Air Force One on his way to Asia for a five-nation tour, but the White House's statement on the call said nothing about the intrigue in Riyadh. Later, when Trump spoke briefly to reporters on the plane, he said only that he'd urged the king to list the Saudi national oil company, Aramco, on an American stock exchange.
The White House Sunday released the detailed description of Trump's phone call with Salman. It said Salman expressed condolences for the terrorist attack in New York City that left eight people dead, and that the two leaders discussed the fight against Islamic State, the foiling of a missile attack against Riyadh from territory in neighboring Yemen, Saudi purchases of U.S. military equipment, and the expected public offering of Aramco.
A senior administration official briefing reporters on Trump's visit to Japan would not answer a question Sunday about whether the arrests came up in the phone call.
"I appreciate the question, but it's _ I'm not even going to be able to give you a useful answer," the official said.
