Turkish forensic officials arrive to the residence of Saudi Arabia’s Consul General Mohammad Al Otaibi in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday.
...“Yesterday evening, (click here) unfortunately, police could not search the Saudi consul’s residence. The Saudis claimed that the consul’s family was inside,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters.
...Members of the US Congress, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans, are among the loudest voices in the United States demanding answers and action on Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who moved to Washington last year fearing retribution for his critical views.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to Trump, has called Prince Mohammed “a wrecking ball” and accused him of ordering Khashoggi’s murder.
Trump is not going to get away with this. The Saudi Prince has become a personal family friend and the law does not recognize that as a reason to refuse to invoke the Magnitsky Act.
Despite concerns about Saudi human rights, Trump still says he is unwilling to pull out of arms sales accords with Riyadh.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plans to attend an investment conference in Riyadh next week, even as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, and top executives from Societe Generale and Glencore joined a growing list of executives who have pulled out.
Mnuchin doesn't have any of his peers at the conference, so I am sure it ruined it for him.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and a partner in US efforts to combat Iranian influence in the region, has said it would retaliate against any pressure or economic sanctions.
“We have said before that Saudi Arabia must cooperate with us in every aspect without delay.”
....An 11-member Saudi investigation team arrived at the consul’s Istanbul residence, broadcaster CNN Turk said.
A pro-government Turkish daily published preliminary evidence last week from investigators who it said had identified a 15-member Saudi intelligence team that arrived in Istanbul on diplomatic passports hours before Khashoggi disappeared.
A New York Times report, citing witnesses and other records, linked four suspects to Prince Mohammed’s security detail.
One name matches a LinkedIn profile for a forensic expert who has worked at the interior ministry for 20 years. Another is identified in a diplomatic directory from 2007 as a first secretary at the Saudi embassy in London. Others resemble officers in the Saudi army and air force.
After his meetings with the King and Crown Prince on Tuesday, Pompeo said Saudi Arabia has committed to conducting a full investigation.
Asked whether they said Khashoggi was alive or dead, Pompeo said: “They didn’t talk about any of the facts.”
Earlier, Trump Tweeted that Prince Mohammed had denied knowing what happened in the Saudi consulate.
“I think we have to find out what happened first,” Trump told the Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday. “Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I don’t like that.”......Members of the US Congress, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans, are among the loudest voices in the United States demanding answers and action on Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who moved to Washington last year fearing retribution for his critical views.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to Trump, has called Prince Mohammed “a wrecking ball” and accused him of ordering Khashoggi’s murder.
Trump is not going to get away with this. The Saudi Prince has become a personal family friend and the law does not recognize that as a reason to refuse to invoke the Magnitsky Act.
Despite concerns about Saudi human rights, Trump still says he is unwilling to pull out of arms sales accords with Riyadh.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plans to attend an investment conference in Riyadh next week, even as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, and top executives from Societe Generale and Glencore joined a growing list of executives who have pulled out.
Mnuchin doesn't have any of his peers at the conference, so I am sure it ruined it for him.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and a partner in US efforts to combat Iranian influence in the region, has said it would retaliate against any pressure or economic sanctions.
...The Global Magnitsky Act (click here) pierces the veil of diplomatic immunity for crimes committed by foreign governments. Bill Browder, the U.S.-born, British businessman who shepherded the law to passage said, “It is a game-changer. The Magnitsky Act functions more as a strategic tool, a scalpel not a sword, to let the U.S. target foreign malefactors who violate basic human rights by torture and murder of innocents who stand up for fundamental human liberty.”
“There have to be consequences for everybody,” said Browder, You can’t come to America and you can’t use the U.S. banking system. … It is a privilege that should only be afforded to people who are not chopping their enemies into little pieces.”
In the wake of American outrage at the brutality of Khashoggi’s killing, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have said “enough.”...
