Trump ‘not satisfied’ by Saudis’ account of Khashoggi’s demise

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he’s not satisfied with the explanations he has heard about the death of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi and is awaiting reports from U.S. personnel returning from the region.

Mr. Khashoggi, who lived in the United States and wrote critically about the Saudi royal family, died earlier this month at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia said he was killed in a fistfight, but Turkish officials said the 59-year-old Washington Post columnist was attacked and killed by a 15man Saudi team.

Asked if he believed Saudi Arabia’s explanation, Mr. Trump said, “I am not satisfied with what I’ve heard.”

“We’re going to get to the bottom of it. We have people over in Saudi Arabia now. We have top intelligence people in Turkey. They’re coming back either tonight or tomorrow,” Mr. Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before leaving for a political rally in Texas.

“We’re going to know a lot over the next two days about the Saudi situation,” said Mr. Trump, who spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday.

Mr. Trump seemed to be taking a tougher stance Monday against Saudi Arabia. When asked Friday whether he thought the Saudi explanation was credible, the president answered: “I do. I do.”

That statement rankled members of Congress and former government officials who have accused Riyadh of trying to cover up the truth behind Mr. Khashoggi’s death or hide evidence that the kingdom, particularly the crown prince, authorized it.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, who has been trying to coax Mr. Trump into ending arms sales to Saudi Arabia, said it’s “laughable” to believe the crown prince was not involved in Mr. Khashoggi’s death.

Mr. Trump said any U.S. response should not involve scrapping billions of dollars in arms sales, which would hurt U.S. defense industries and eliminate U.S. jobs.