Diplomatic source dismisses Trump claim US involved in Khashoggi investigation

A TURKISH diplomatic source has dismissed President Donald Trump’s claim that U.S. investigators are involved in the investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The information that the U.S. has tasked investigators over the Khashoggi case is not correct,” a diplomatic source told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Trump earlier said, “We’re being very tough. And we have investigators over there and we’re working with Turkey, and frankly, we’re working with Saudi Arabia. We want to find out what happened.” “We’re looking at it very, very seriously. I don’t like it at all,” he added.

“I have to find out what happened,” Trump said when asked if U.S.-Saudi relations would be jeopardized by the disappearance of Khashoggi.

Asked about a Washington Post report that U.S. intelligence had intercepted top Saudi officials discussing a plan to capture Khashoggi, Trump told Fox, “It would be a very sad thing.” “We will probably know in the very short future. We have some incredible people and some incredible talent working on it. We don’t like it. I don’t like it. No good,” he added.

Earlier Wednesday, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Corker reviewed the U.S. intelligence on the case. He said it was likely that Khashoggi was killed the day he walked into the consulate. Whatever took place, Corker said, “there was Saudi involve- ment” and “everything points to them.”

Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen who had lived in Washington for the past year, has not been heard from or seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul more than one week ago. He left Saudi Arabia last year saying he feared retribution for his criticism of Riyadh over the Yemen war and its crackdown on dissent, and since then wrote columns for the Washington Post.