Currents News Staff
Republican and Democratic members of Congress want tough consequences if missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was indeed killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held meetings with top Saudi leaders in Riyadh Tuesday, and the President says answers will be coming soon.
And from both sides of the aisle, calls to send a message to Saudi Arabia.
“What we want is not only the president to do is not only take action, but we want language to be clear, that America will not tolerate this type of behavior,” said Sen. Ben Cardin from Maryland.
“If the recognition is that Saudi Arabia had something to do with this, which it appears to be, we need to hold them accountable,” said Rep. Tom Reed from New York.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview with Bloomberg News, said Congress wants the facts. “We need to find out first what happened before we’re deciding what kind of responses are appropriate,” McConnell said.
Turkish investigators spent nine hours inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Monday – their first permitted entry, nearly two weeks after Khashoggi’s disappearance.
And Tuesday, Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo sat down with top Saudi leaders – for brief meetings the State Department described as “direct and candid.”
A senior adviser to the President says Trump’s decision on how to handle the Saudi matter may be the most consequential of his presidency.
On Monday, sources said the Saudis were preparing to allege that Khashoggi died during a botched interrogation operation that did not have clearance.
Khashoggi’s family has called for an independent, international commission to investigate.