President Donald Trump is insisting there’s not enough evidence to blame Saudi Arabia’s crown prince for the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi Consulate in Turkey.
Trump told reporters during a Thanksgiving appearance at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida: “Maybe the world should be held accountable ’cause the world is a vicious place.”
Saudi prosecutors have said a 15-man team sent to Istanbul killed Khashoggi with tranquilizers.
Trump pushed back on the idea his refusal to punish the Saudis more will embolden other governments to go after journalists and commit other human rights abuses. Trump calls the kingdom an important ally that has helped to lower oil prices.
Republicans and Democrats have accused Trump of ignoring U.S. intelligence that concluded it was likely Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing. Trump says the CIA’s report was inclusive.
Trump’s embrace of Saudi Arabia has exposed a foreign policy rift in the Republican Party, as some of his GOP colleagues warn that not punishing the kingdom for its role in killing a U.S.-based columnist will have dangerous consequences.
Many Republicans — even Sens. Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul, who share their views on the matter with the president — have denounced Trump’s decision not to levy harsher penalties on the crown prince over Khashoggi’s death.
Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Wednesday that he was “astounded” by Trump’s statement and likened it to a press release for Saudi Arabia.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended Trump’s decision, saying the U.S. has already placed sanctions on 17 Saudi officials suspected of involvement in the Oct. 2 killing of The Washington Post columnist, who had been critical of the royal family.
