Pompeo says he will meet with Saudi crown prince

Calls the murder of journalist an ‘outrageous’ act

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and plans to address the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi during his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Pompeo said Saturday to CBS News.

“I’ll say what we have said consistently,” Mr. Pompeo said of Mr. Khashoggi’s murder.

“America’s position both privately and publicly is the same. This was an outrageous act, an unacceptable murder. Those who were responsible will be held accountable by the United States of America. We’re determined to do that. We’re determined to get at the facts just as quickly and as comprehensively as we can,” he continued in an interview he taped with CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

In December 2018, the Senate passed a resolution condemning Saudi Arabia’s crown prince for the murder of Mr. Khashoggi.

The resolution stated that the Senate “believes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi” and “calls for the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure appropriate accountability for all those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.”

In his CBS interview, Mr. Pompeo said the United States “value human rights all across the globe,” and called the murder of Mr. Khashoggi “outrageous.” He added that the U.S. will “hold those responsible accountable.”

“And then we’ll talk about all the important things we do with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all the support they provide to keep Americans in Kansas and Colorado and California and in Washington, D.C., safe,” Mr. Pompeo added.

Mr. Pompeo previously told Al Arabiya that he would be heading to Saudi Arabia beginning Sunday.

Meanwhile, Mr. Pompeo said American diplomats are upbeat despite the government shutdown that has left many of them working without pay.

“Morale is good,” he told reporters in Abu Dhabi, one of the stops on his nine-nation tour of Middle East, as the shutdown was set to enter its fourth week. “They understand that there are squabbles in Washington, but their mission remains, their duties continue and they’re executing them.”

“We’re doing our best to make sure it doesn’t impact our diplomacy,” he said.

Almost half of the State Department employees in the United States and about onequarter abroad have been furloughed during the shutdown. With the exception of certain local employees overseas, the rest are working without pay, including those tasked with supporting Mr. Pompeo’s trip, which has thus far taken him to Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and Bahrain. He will wrap the tour up Monday and Tuesday in Oman and Kuwait.

Even with the government closed, Mr. Pompeo said he still plans to host all U.S. ambassadors for a previously scheduled conference in Washington this week.

Mr. Pompeo also defended the presence of his wife on his Mideast tour. Susan Pompeo’s travel with her husband has raised the eyebrows of some who have questioned why she is accompanying him during the shutdown. Mr. Pompeo called her a “force multiplier” who is looking at issues he might not otherwise have time to deal with.

“With respect to my wife’s travel, she is on an important mission as well,” Mr. Pompeo said, noting that she has visited the families of U.S. diplomats to gauge their quality of life and make suggestions as to how that can be improved.