Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Trump says he won’t rap Saudis over slaying
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that he would not further punish Saudi Arabia for the murder of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi — making clear that the benefits of good relations with the kingdom outweigh the possibility its crown prince ordered the killing.
The president condemned the brutal slaying of Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as a “horrible crime … that our country does not condone.” But he rejected calls by many in Congress, including members of his own party, for a tougher response, and dismissed reports from U.S. intelligence agencies that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have at least known about such an audacious and intricate plot.
“It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event,” the president said. “Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t.”
The statement came after weeks of debate over whether the president would
or should come down hard on the Saudis and the crown prince in response to the killing of the Saudi columnist for The Washington Post who had criticized the royal family.
The U.S. earlier sanctioned 17 Saudi officials suspected of being responsible for or complicit in the Oct. 2 killing, but members of Congress have called for harsher actions, including canceling arms sales.
Trump said that “foolishly canceling these contracts” worth billions of dollars would only benefit Russia and China, which would be next in line to supply the weapons. Critics denounced Trump’s statement, saying he ignored human rights and granted Saudi Arabia a pass for economic reasons.
Asked by a reporter if he was saying that human rights are too expensive to fight for, he responded, “No, I’m not saying that at all.”
The U.S. needs a “counterbalance” to Iran, “and Israel needs help, too,” he said. “If we abandon Saudi Arabia, it would be a terrible mistake.”
The mistake was Trump’s, said Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, contending the administration has “blinders on” in comparing Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“It’s a sign of weakness not to stand up to Saudi Arabia,” Paul said in an interview. “Sometimes when you have two evils, maybe you don’t support either side.”
Republican Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator who is close to Trump, also disagreed with the president’s statement.
“When it comes to the Crown Prince, it is not wise to look away,” Graham said Tuesday afternoon. “It does not serve our national interest well.” He described the crown prince as “a wrecking ball,” citing actions including initiating an embargo against Qatar as well as having a role in the death of Khashoggi.
Likewise, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said that to suggest that U.S. silence can be bought with arms sales “undermines respect for the office of the presidency, the credibility of our intelligence community and America’s standing as a champion of human rights.”
Trump told reporters on the South Lawn that oil prices would “skyrocket” if the U.S. broke with the Saudis, adding he was not going to “destroy” the world’s economy by being “foolish with Saudi Arabia.”
Asked about any personal financial involvement, he said, “Saudi Arabia has nothing to do with me. What does have to do with me is putting America first.”
Trump said King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed both “vigorously deny” any knowledge of the planning or execution of the killing.
The statement came after Trump said he would receive a full report on the killing, but it appeared that no report was forthcoming, and it wasn’t clear that the president had received any new information.
It also came after U.S. officials familiar with the case said intelligence officials had concluded that the crown prince, the kingdom’s de facto leader, did order the killing.
CIA Director Gina Haspel had already shown the president details of the crown prince’s involvement, officials said. The agency’s assessment of Mohammed’s involvement relied on audio recordings provided by Turkey, intercepted phone calls, as well as other analysis performed by Saudi experts at the CIA, according to people familiar with the agency’s work.
Others familiar with the case, however, have cautioned that while it’s likely the crown prince had a role, there continue to be questions about the degree.
Trump said the CIA was still looking into the issue.
“We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump said. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran.”
Trump’s words seemed likely to alienate Turkey, which has raised the pressure on Saudi Arabia to offer a full accounting of what happened to Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate.
Saudi prosecutors say a 15man team sent to Istanbul exceeded its authority when the lead negotiator in the team decided to kill Khashoggi for refusing orders to return. The Saudis say the agents dismembered his body, which has not been found.
Democrats on Capitol Hill called on the CIA and other top intelligence agencies to publicly report what it has learned about the killing.
And former Director John Brennan, a frequent Trump critic, tweeted: “Since Mr. Trump excels in dishonesty, it is now up to members of Congress to obtain & declassify the CIA findings on Jamal Khashoggi’s death. No one in Saudi Arabia — most especially the Crown Prince — should escape accountability for such a heinous act.”
Trump said he knew some members of Congress would disagree with his decision. He said he would listen to their ideas, but only if they were focused on U.S. national security.
Late last week, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that calls for suspending weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, for sanctions on people who block humanitarian access in Yemen or support the Houthi rebels, and mandatory sanctions on those responsible for Khashoggi’s death.
Democrats criticized Trump’s decision Tuesday and called on Congress to cut off arm sales to Saudi Arabia and end support for Saudi Arabia’s war against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, which is facing a humanitarian crisis. Information for this article was contributed by Deb Riechmann of The Associated Press; by Mark Landler of The New York Times; and by Josh Dawsey, Shane Harris, Karen DeYoung, John Hudson, Tom Hamburger and Karoun Demirjian of The Washington Post.