Pompeo to press Saudi leader over Khashoggi

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Riyadh on Sunday, promising to press the Saudi royal family for greater accountability on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and American resident killed inside a Saudi Consulate in October.

But critics do not expect a truly forceful reprimand of the Saudis from Trump’s chief diplomat, and some experts said the real audience for Pompeo’s message on Khashoggi may be the newly empowered House Democratic majority, which is preparing to grill the administration on its handling of the journalist’s murder and a slew of other foreign policy issues.

Pompeo’s stop in Saudi Arabia – part of a broader diplomatic swing through the Middle East – is his second since Khashoggi’s killing. He is scheduled to meet top Saudi leaders, including the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Lawmakers briefed by CIA Director Gina Haspel say the evidence shows the Salmanwas complicit in Khashoggi’s murder. Khashoggi was a critic of the Saudi regime, and Salman in particular.

“We will continue to have a conversation with the crown prince and the Saudis about ensuring that the accountability is full and complete with respect to the unacceptable murder of Jamal Khashoggi,” Pompeo told reporters traveling with him on the Middle East trip. “So we’ll continue to talk about that and make sure we have all the facts so that they are held accountable, certainly by the Saudis but by the United States as well where appropriate.”

Mike Pompeo