Trump reluctant to abandon Riyadh over missing journalist

ANKARA/WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he did not want to abandon ally Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of a Saudi journalist and has asked for audio recordings Turkish sources say indicate he was killed by Saudi agents.

Mr. Trump said he was waiting for a full report on what had happened to Jamal Khashoggi from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whom he sent to Saudi Arabia and Turkey to meet with officials over the disappearance of the Saudi government critic. Mr. Trump and Mr. Pompeo were scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) on Thursday.

Turkish officials have said they believe Mr. Khashoggi, a Washington

Post columnist who was critical of the authoritarian kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and his body removed. The Saudis have denied the allegations.

Turkish sources have told Reuters the authorities have an audio recording indicating Mr. Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate.

Asked in a Fox Business Network interview if Washington could abandon Riyadh, Mr. Trump said: “I do not want to do that.”

“I want to find out what happened, where is the fault, and we will probably know that by the end of the week,” Mr. Trump later told reporters.

Mr. Trump has cited Riyadh’s role in countering Iranian influence in the region and tens of billions of dollars in potential arms deals. —