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WASHINGTON – The Trump administration, confronted with new evidence of concealment in the badbadination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, changed course Monday between defending the value of its alliance with Saudi Arabia and the United States. call from the Saudi government for answers. The White House sent CIA director Gina Haspel to Istanbul to help the Turkish government investigate the murder, a senior official said. But in Riyadh, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had a large meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on suspicion of playing a role in the killing of Saudi dissident Khashoggi.
Mnuchin, who canceled his presence at the Saudi investment conference this week following the murder of Mr. Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, exchanged views with the Prince Mohammed on economic ties and counterterrorism initiatives, as well as the investigation into the death of Mr. Khashoggi, according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.
New doubts remain as to the Saudi government's badertion that Mr. Khashoggi was allegedly strangled accidentally after being punched with 15 Saudi members, along with a video of double-sided body Monday. A Saudi agent donned Mr. Khashoggi's clothes after his badbadination and left the building to create a series of deceptive evidence, as well as surveillance footage broadcast by Turkey.
"I'm not satisfied with what I've heard," President Trump told reporters before heading to a rally in Texas
But Trump reiterated the value of the $ 110 billion arms deal it had announced with Saudi Arabia, as well as other US trade relations with the kingdom. "I do not want to lose the investment made in our country," he said.
The meeting between Mnuchin and Prince Mohammed was unexpected and was organized at the request of the Saudis, according to a person close to the situation. . But this adds to the portrait of a White House eager to move from the badbadination of Mr. Khashoggi to a more routine relationship with his key Arab ally.
The timing, as well as the unusual decision to send Ms. Haspel to Turkey pointed out that the fury was far from over. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to give a full and unadorned account of what happened to Mr. Khashoggi.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump's son-in-law and his senior advisor, Jared Kushner, who was the main contact with Prince Mohammed, compared doubts about the truthfulness of the statements of Saudi officials to treachery mundane which the White House is facing in Washington.
people trying to deceive us in different ways, "Kushner told a CNN forum in Manhattan. "But our job is to see through it, but also to stay focused on what is best for the American people."
The administration has changed tone on many occasions regarding the Saudi response to the murder. But Mr Trump has stopped pointing fingers at Prince Mohammed and has firmly defended the heir to the 33-year-old Saudi throne, which the White House has cultivated and sees as a vital partner in his efforts to isolate him. ;Iran. 19659002] Mr. Mnuchin was the first senior US official to meet Prince Mohammed personally since the Saudi government confirmed Friday that Mr. Khashoggi had been killed. He had previously insisted that he leave the consulate and then disappear.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry did not delay in publicizing the meeting, posting on Twitter a photo of Mr. Mnuchin sitting in front of Prince Mohammed in a lavish reception room, listening to
The Prince Mohammed emphasized "the importance of the US-Saudi strategic partnership, where he plays an important role in the future, in accordance with the kingdom's Vision2030," the tweet says, referring to the prince's ambitious agenda. to modernize his kingdom.
A spokesman for the Treasury Department said the meeting was aimed primarily at fighting the financing of terrorism and reducing Iran's influence in the region, and that the two men discussed from the investigation on Khashoggi.
Representative Adam B. Schiff of California The Democratic Party's top House Intelligence Committee official this weekend said he believed that the murder of Mr. Khashoggi was at the origin of Prince Mohammed , criticized Mr. Mnuchin's decision to meet the Royal Governor.
certainly think that they should not have gone ahead, "said Mr. Schiff during a phone interview. "If they are dealing with anti-terrorism issues, it's hard to believe how fruitful they could be."
The meeting took place several hours after Mr. Kushner declared he had "eyes wide open "as investigations into his murder continued.
The reasons for skepticism seemed to deepen on Monday. The revelation that the Saudis have deployed a double body adds to growing doubts about Saudi Arabia's explanation for the death of 59-year-old Khashoggi.
He suggests the existence of a premeditated plan to remove Mr. Khashoggi, by death or abduction, and to conceal that – perhaps contradicting the insistence of the Saudi Arabia that his murder was the accidental result of an altercation.
Trump, in an interview with USA Today, called the film "a plot that went wrong."
Monday, CNN showed images disseminated by the Turkish authorities and showing the body walking in Istanbul wearing Mr Khashoggi's clothes. The man was identified as Mustafa al-Madani, described in his Facebook profile now deleted as a Saudi government engineer.
Kushner, one of the leading advisers to the Middle East peace process, has forged a strong relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince.
He has spoken with Prince Mohammed several times over the past week and has been criticized by reports that he advised Mr. Trump to wait before making any conclusions about Mr. Khashoggi's death. .
"I think the president is focusing again on what's good for America and strategic interests," Kushner said. "Where do we share interests with other countries? Let's work in this direction. "
He made these remarks in his first televised interview since the election of 2016, under the leadership of political activist Van Jones, at the "Citizen by CNN" forum in Manhattan
M. Kushner said the president was anxious to get answers, but he noted that the Saudis were a strategic ally of the United States.
When Mr. Jones noted that even Mr. Trump had stated that there had been "deception" and "Lies" of the Saudis in the Khashoggi case, Mr. Kushner gave a more moderate answer .
"We get facts from multiple places," he said. "Once these facts are known, the Secretary of State will work with our national security team to help us determine what we want to believe."
When Mr. Kushner was asked what He had personally given advice to the crown prince, he replied "To be transparent," he added, "the world is watching".
Rejecting criticism of his ties to the crown prince, Mr. Kushner said that he was not paying attention to his critics. At another time, he said that he only took criticism into account if he was a person he respected.
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