Senator: ‘There’s a smoking saw’

US Senators emerged from an unusual closed-door briefing and accused the Saudi Crown Prince of complicity in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In some of their strongest statements to date, lawmakers said evidence presented by the US spy agency overwhelmingly pointed to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s involvement in the assassination.

“There’s not a smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, (R), referring to the bone saw that investigators believe was used to dismember Khashoggi after he was killed by a team of Saudi agents inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Armed with classified details provided by President Donald Trump’s CIA Director, Gina Haspel, senators shredded the arguments put forward by senior Administration officials who had earlier insisted that the evidence of Mohammed’s alleged role is inconclusive.

“If the Crown Prince went in front of a jury, he would be convicted in 30 minutes,” said Senator Bob Corker, (R), the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. “I’ve been here 12 years; I’ve never heard, ever, a presentation like was made today,” he said.

Graham declined to say what was said, but noted, “you can be assured it was thorough and the evidence is overwhelming”.