Sen. Chris Murphy appeared on CNN to respond to criticism about his recent trip to Qatar during the World Cup.

Murphy was met with backlash after posting pictures of himself with the foreign minister of Qatar, calling him "a friend."

Murphy also responded to criticism over his visit regarding the country's troubled human rights record.

"The foreign minister is a friend. Qatar is a complicated partner, but also a country that has helped us save the lives of Afghanis. No one else is willing to do that except for Qatar," Murphy says.

This is all in response to a photo on Twitter from Nov. 21, talking about a lunch he just had with leaders there--including Qatar's foreign minister-- while attending the World Cup.

The majority of the replies to Murphy's tweet were highly critical, questioning why the senator referred to the Qatari foreign minister as a "friend" and pointing out the exploitation on migrant workers as well as the clashes with journalists and the country's anti-LGBTQ policies.