Trump still not convinced Saudis were involved in Khashoggi’s disappearance
As gruesome details of Jamal Khashoggi’s alleged killing and dismemberment at the hands of Saudi operatives trickled into the public domain this week, calls sounded in capitals around the globe for immediate retaliation to the apparent human rights atrocity.
But President Donald Trump has remained dogged about the bottom line.
In days of private phone calls and Oval Office huddles, Trump repeatedly has reached for reasons to protect the U.S.-Saudi relationship, according to administration officials and presidential advisers.
Trump has stressed Saudi Arabia’s massive investment in U.S. weaponry and worries it could instead purchase arms from China or Russia. He has fretted about the oil-rich desert kingdom cutting off its supply of petroleum to the United States. He has warned against losing a key partner countering Iran’s influence in the Middle East. He has argued that even if the United States tried to isolate the Saudis, the kingdom is too wealthy ever to be truly isolated.
And he has emphasized that although Khashoggi had been living in Virginia and wrote for The Washington Post, the dissident journalist is a Saudi citizen — the implication being that the disappearance is not necessarily the United States’ problem.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo jetted home Wednesday to Washington after hearing Saudi denials in Riyadh and Turkish accusations in Ankara that Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents. Trump’s top diplomat received a firsthand briefing from Turkish authorities but did not listen to the audio recording that Turkish officials say offers a ghastly rendering of Khashoggi’s killing and proves he was murdered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Pompeo also did not offer reporters traveling with him any deeper clarity into how the Trump administration would address the conflicting accounts, but suggested any possible U.S. response would weigh its “important relations” with Saudi Arabia.
Trump said his administration has asked for an audio recording “if it exists,” expressing doubt about the evidence. U.S. intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said they had no reason to doubt that Turkey has an audio recording proving what officials claim. But the lack of a review by U.S. analysts makes it difficult for the administration to offer an independent assessment about who may be responsible for Khashoggi’s murder, the officials said.
Meanwhile, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said the administration had “clamped down” on sharing intelligence about the Khashoggi case. He said an intelligence briefing scheduled for Tuesday was canceled and he was told no additional intelligence would be shared with the Senate for now, a move he called “disappointing.”
“I can only surmise that probably the intel is not painting a pretty picture as it relates to Saudi Arabia,” Corker said. Based on the earlier intelligence he had reviewed, he added, “Everything points not to just Saudi Arabia, but to MBS,” referring to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “This could not have happened without his approval.”
The Khashoggi episode has seen a two-week cycle of delay and deterrence on the part of Trump, a president known to act on his impulses.
Trump repeatedly has insisted on an unhurried response and largely has followed the cautious counsel of Pompeo, now one of his most trusted confidants. A senior White House official said that Trump dispatching Pompeo to Saudi Arabia showed how seriously he is taking the issue.
National security adviser John Bolton and, to a lesser extent, senior adviser Jared Kushner also have helped shape Trump’s Saudi strategy. Kushner, who has cultivated a close relationship with the prince, has emphasized internally the importance of Saudi Arabia to prospects for Middle East peace, officials said.
The hesitation and friendly engagement with the Saudis has underscored Trump’s view of American power: a transactional approach that prioritizes geopolitics and economic interests over human rights and democracy.