Lawmakers press Trump on the Saudi account of Khashoggi's murder
Lawmakers press Trump on the Saudi account of Khashoggi's murder
WASHINGTON. Immediately a division emerged on Saturday between President Trump's initial acceptance of Saudi Arabia's response to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the senators of both parties that intensified calls for sanctions and pressured the administration to conduct its own investigation. .
"The story that the Saudis have told about the disappearance of Jamal Khashogui continues to change with each passing day, so we should not assume that his last story contains water," said Senator Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), Who presides over the Senate of Foreign Relations. Committee. "They can submit to their own investigation, but the administration of the United States must make its own independent and credible decision of responsibility for the Khashoggi murder."
Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) was even more doubtful. "To say that I am skeptical about the new Saudi narrative about Mr. Khashoggi is a euphemism," he wrote on Twitter. "It is difficult to find this last" explanation "as credible."
Democrats criticized the Trump administration for not applying more pressure to the Saudi royal family. "If ever a story reeked of a cover-up, it's this one," said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.). "Our country should not be an accomplice in this cover-up."
The Saudis said on Friday that Mr. Khashoggi, a government critic who had been living in the United States, died after an altercation inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Mr. Khashoggi was in the consulate for documents related to the marriage. . The Saudi statement said that 18 Saudi citizens had been detained pending the final results of an ongoing investigation.
Earlier, the Saudis had said that Mr. Khashoggi had left the consulate alive and that Saudi Arabia shared the general concern for his welfare. Turkey vigorously fought against Turkey's claims that the journalist had been killed in a Saudi location.
The skeptical reception of the legislators of the new narrative contrasted with Mr. Trump's more tolerant tone, suggesting that a confrontation was going on about how to deal with the Saudis now that they have attributed Mr. Khashoggi's death to a fight followed by a concealment, an account that effectively exonerates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Mr. Trump said Friday night that the killing was "unacceptable," but he called Saudi Arabia's response and "a great first step." During an event in Arizona, he stressed that Saudi Arabia is an ally and did not want to unravel lucrative arms deals.
Later, he told reporters: "I think we'll talk to them, we'll see what happens, we can have some questions, we have some questions."
He added: "We need [the Saudis] As a counterweight to Iran. And then it is not the simplest solution. It is not the simplest situation. "
Mr. Trump was traveling to Nevada on Saturday for a political rally that will begin at 2 p.m. To the east, leaving open the possibility that he had more to say about it.
Although the president made it clear that he would push for more information, the contrast between his relatively conciliatory response and the derisive reaction of the legislators of both parties foretell a debate in the coming days, even between the president and some members of his own party.
Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), A member of the Foreign Relations Committee, criticized on Saturday the "changing stories" of the Saudis. "The last one about a fist fight that went wrong is strange," he wrote on Twitter.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D., California), the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, agreed.
"If Khashoggi was fighting inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, he was fighting for his life with people sent to capture him or kill him," Schiff said. "The kingdom and everyone involved in this brutal murder must be held accountable, and if the Trump administration does not take the initiative, Congress must do so."
Mr. Rubio was among those who joined in the calls for the United States to use the Magnitsky Global Law, which allows sanctions against foreigners responsible for human rights violations.
Last week, Mr. Corker and Senator Bob Menéndez (D., NJ), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with 20 other senators from both parties, sent a letter to Mr. Trump to begin an investigation under the law. .
"Our expectation is that in making its determination, it will consider any relevant information, even with respect to the highest ranking officials in the Saudi government," the letter says.
The representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States have disagreed with what happened to the missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, until Saudi Arabia confirmed that he was assassinated at his consulate in Istanbul. Here is how the narrative of each country developed. Photo: George Downs / The Wall Street Journal
A person close to the White House said that President Trump is in a difficult situation: caught between his desire to preserve ties with a Saudi leadership that has been a reliable partner of the United States. UU And a republican group of the Republican Congress that wants to punish the kingdom for Mr. Khashoggi. murder.
From the presidential transition, Mr. Trump and his main advisers made a great bet on Prince Mohammed, the ruler of the day to day. Senior White House officials, including the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, believe that in the past two years, Saudi Arabia has largely fulfilled its commitments to be a bulwark against Iran, fighting terrorism by making lucrative investments in the United States are familiar with The matter said.
"Members of Congress who are supporters of Trump's closure are looking for ways to pursue Saudi Arabia, Trump is in a very, very difficult position," said the person close to Mr. Trump.
-Peter Nicholas contributed to this article.
Write to Alex Leary in alex.leary@wsj.com
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