Wilbur Ross marvels that there 'was not a single hint of a protester' in Saudi Arabia — where protesters are jailed

In an interview Monday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross marveled at the "fascinating" fact that there "was not a single hint of a protester anywhere there during the whole time" he was in Saudi Arabia with President Trump. CNBC Squawk Box host Becky Quick pointed out that might be because the Saudi Arabian government does not allow protests. Political protesters have been jailed and even beheaded.

"But Secretary Ross, that might be, not necessarily because they don't have those feelings there, but because they control people and don't allow them to come and express their feelings quite the same as we do here," Quick said.

Ross admitted that "in theory that could be true." "But boy there was certainly no sign of it, there was not a single effort at any incursion," Ross said. "There wasn't anything."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Watch the exchange below. Becca Stanek