Cover-up one of the worst in history: Donald Trump on Jamal Khashoggi killing
US president Donald Trump on Tuesday called the Saudi handling of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi the “worst in the history of cover-up” and his administration moved to punish Saudi officials responsible by revoking their visas as a first step with the promise of more action to follow.
US president Donald Trump on Tuesday called the Saudi handling of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi the “worst in the history of cover-up” and his administration moved to punish Saudi officials responsible by revoking their visas as a first step with the promise of more action to follow.
“They had a very bad original concept,” President Trump told reporters hours after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s stinging speech detailing the killing. “It was carried out poorly. And the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups. Very simple. Bad deal.”
He added: “And where it should have stopped is at the deal standpoint, where they thought about it. Because whoever thought of that idea I think is in big trouble, and they should be in big trouble.”
The first actions in this regard were announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later on Tuesday. He told reporters the US has identified “some of the individuals responsible, including those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the foreign ministry, and other Saudi ministries” suspected of involvement in Khashoggi’s death.
“We are taking appropriate actions, which include revoking visas, entering visa lookouts, and other measures.” he added. The state department has said 21 Saudi individuals are included in the first round of punishment, who stand to have their US visas revoked or will be turned down if they applied.
Further action may follow, the administration has indicated under the Global Magnitsky Act, a law that specifies sanctions and financial assets freeze of foreign individuals and entities found to have ordered the assassination of a person exercising their freedom of expression.
Khashoggi was a veteran journalist who was once close to the Saudi Royal family, but he grew critical of the crown prince Mohammad bin-Salman and fled the kingdom, and began living in the United States in self-imposed exile and worked as a contributing writer to The Washington Post.
He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. President Erdogan told ruling party MPs on Tuesday that Khashoggi was murdered inside mission in a “savage” manner by a team of 15 men who had arrived from Saudi Arabia for the operation in the days and hours ahead of it.
Turkey is conducting its own investigation, as are the Saudi and the Americans. Trump said US teams of investigators are expected to return shortly; they were joined in Turkey by CIA director Gina Haspel, who had apparently rushed to see the evidence the Turks have ahead of Erdogan’s speech.
Though the Turkish president did not name the Saudi crown prince, questions are being raised about latter’s role, with speculation raging, without any evidence yet, that the operation was ordered by him and was carried out by people close to him, including members of his security detail.
Asked about Mohammad’s role, Pompeo told reporters, “We continue to develop our understanding of the individuals that were responsible for this, who not only executed it but led and were involved and were connected to it, the world should know that we intend to hold those individuals accountable.”
The president and his officials continue to condemn the killing but have tended to separate the ruling family from it specially the crown prince. They have said the desert kingdom is a close ally and prolific buyer of American gods, worth an estimated $50 billion, of which $110 billion on defense equipment.
