The Kingdom has been 'our buddies' a lot longer than that.  

The New York Times noticed it in regard to Bill Clinton back in 1993. He sought a donation to the University of Arkansas.

"Another $20 million arrived in February, a few weeks after President Clinton's inauguration, Mr. Madison said." 


http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/23/world/clinton-and-his-ties-to-the-influential-saudis.html

And don't forget the Clinton Foundation.

"The kingdom gave between $10 million and $25 million to the Clinton Foundation between the time the foundation was created in 2001  through 2014, and some portion of the funds was contributed in 2014, according to the foundation’s searchable database.  According to a February 2015 news article by the Washington Post, Saudi Arabia was among some foreign governments that had been supporting the foundation before Clinton was appointed secretary of state, did not give while she was in office and then resumed giving."