Donald Trump urged to hire a lawyer as impeachment row overshadows trip to Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington
President Trump leaves a crisis in Washington as he flies to Saudi Arabia for his first foreign trip Credit: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Donald Trump has reportedly been advised to hire a lawyer amid allegations about his presidential campaign's ties to Russia, as the spectre of impeachment threatens to overshadow his first overseas trip as President.

The New York Times claims President Trump has been urged to seek independent legal advice following allegations he asked FBI director James Comey to drop an investigation into national security adviser Michael Flynn, a crisis engulfing the presidency.

Visiting Riyadh, Trump will hope to put domestic troubles behind him, with the focus on strengthening an already comfortable relationship between the Saudis and America. 

Saudi Arabia is looking to assert its regional leadership against Iran by hosting a summit between visiting US President Donald Trump and Muslim leaders from around the world. The president is expected to tell Muslim leaders of his "hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam" as he seeks support for the war against radical Islamists.

Muslim leaders may also be looking for Trump to build bridges with them after allegations of Islamophobia against his administration and its effort to bar travellers from six Muslim-majority countries. But for Riyadh, analysts say, a primary goal is to showcase its leadership of the Muslim world, especially in the face of regional rival Iran.

"This is as much a sign of Saudi regional leadership" as of US assertiveness and aims to show the extent to which the kingdom can gather key Muslim leaders, said Adam Baron, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud shakes hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May
Saudi Arabia's King Salman, pictured with Theresa May, is hosting a summit of Muslim leaders

Leaders and representatives of 55 countries - from the southeast Asian sultanate of Brunei to Africa's Niger and heavyweights including Turkey - have been invited by King Salman for Sunday's summit with Trump.

The summit will be one of three weekend meetings, as Trump holds bilateral talks with top Saudi officials and with leaders of the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which includes Saudi Arabia.

The bilateral summit on Saturday comes with Saudi leaders rebuilding crucial ties with Washington after feeling that Trump's predecessor Barack Obama tilted too much toward Tehran.

The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers including the United States was a major step toward ending Tehran's international isolation but raised serious concerns in Arab capitals.

Iran, the Middle East's second largest power by economy and population, is the Shiite Muslim rival of regional Sunni giant Saudi Arabia. Saudi leaders regularly accuse Iran of stirring regional conflicts by supporting Shiite movements in Syria, Iraq and Bahrain as well as in Yemen.

Tehran denies the charges and in turn says Riyadh supports radical Islamist groups.

 

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