Democrats want Trump-Russia probe

Washington – Democrats intend to probe US President Donald Trump’s financial ties to determine whether they are the “hidden hand” driving US foreign policy on Russia and Saudi Arabia, the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said yesterday.

Adam Schiff, currently the ranking Democrat on that committee, accused Trump of being “dishonest” about the role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A Republican senator privy to the intelligence also challenged Trump’s denial this week that the CIA had concluded that the crown prince ordered the October 2 assassination. “What is driving this?” Schiff asked, questioning “whether there’s a financial motivation; that is, his own personal finances”.

“Is his personal financial interest driving US policy in the Gulf? Vis-a-vis the Russians? We don’t know, but it would be irresponsible not to find out,” he said on CNN’s State of the Union.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, was a Washington Post columnist who lived in Virginia. He was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a special team flown in for the job.

The Saudis, who changed their version of events as evidence was made public in Turkey, have insisted that Prince Mohammed had no prior knowledge of the assassination – an interpretation which Trump has accepted.

“The CIA doesn’t say they did it,” Trump said on Thursday. “They do point out certain things, and in pointing out those things, you can conclude that maybe he did or maybe he didn’t.” –