So now he doesn’t buy Saudi slay story

Don walks back acceptance of shifting timeline on Khashoggi death

President Trump backpedaled Monday on his embrace of Saudi Arabia’s explanation for Jamal Khashoggi’s death, declaring he’s “not satisfied” with the kingdom’s everchanging timeline as U.S. and Turkish officials prepared to release their findings of what actually happened to the slain writer.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump declined to discuss specifics but indicated he is not convinced by the Saudi regime’s conflicting accounts about Khashoggi’s killing and said he will disclose more information once a team of American investigators returns from overseas.

“I’m going to know very shortly because I have a great group of people in Turkey right now and a great group of people in Saudi Arabia,” Trump said before traveling to Texas for a rally. “They’re coming back tonight, tomorrow, and I will know very soon. … I am not satisfied with what I’ve heard.”

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and outspoken critic of the conservative kingdom, disappeared after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to obtain documents necessary for his wedding.

The Saudi government at first insisted Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, even as Turkish officials said they had evidence that the 59-year-old journalist was tortured, killed and dismembered with a bone saw by a team of assassins operating at the behest of the Saudi royal court.

Finally, Saudi officials admitted Friday Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate but maintained his death was the result of a fistfight and not premeditated.

Trump initially accepted that explanation, saying he found it credible and “a big step” in the right direction.

Turkish investigators have cast doubt over Riyadh’s claims.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was friends with Khashoggi, promised Monday that the details of his death will be laid out “in all its nakedness” in an address before parliament on Tuesday.

“The results will be brought into the open, those responsible will be punished and no one will dare think of carrying out such a thing again,” said Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan.

The Turkish leader’s announcement will coincide with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s investment summit in the Saudi capital, which will have an unusually sparse crowd as scores of top business leaders have declined to attend because of Khashoggi’s killing.

Trump said he has spoken with the crown prince but wouldn’t elaborate on their talk. Turkish officials accuse the prince of ordering Khashoggi’s death as part of an aggressive crackdown on critics of the kingdom.

Also Monday, leaked surveillance footage revealed a man strolled out of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul wearing what appears to be Khashoggi’s clothes hours after his death in a suspected attempt at a coverup.

The footage, which was obtained by CNN and Turkish outlets, shows a man dressed in Khashoggi’s shirt, suit jacket and pants, albeit with different shoes. After exiting the consulate, the unnamed man — who was described by a Turkish source as a “body double” — is seen taking a cab to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, where he goes to a public restroom and changes out of Khashoggi’s clothes.

The man is then captured on video laughing and having dinner with an accomplice before returning to his hotel.

It remains unclear where Khashoggi’s body is.

The Saudi regime says it has arrested at least 18 people in Khashoggi’s killing and claims Mohammed bin Salman didn’t order or know about his death. Turkish officials have disputed those claims and say they have phone records showing that a member of the crown prince’s inner circle phoned the royal office from the consulate in Istanbul around the time of Khashoggi’s death.