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President Donald Trump talks via teleconference with his troops in his Mar-a-Lago area in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, November 22, 2018.
President Donald Trump talks via teleconference with his troops in his Mar-a-Lago area in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, November 22, 2018.
Photo: Susan Walsh, AP
President Donald Trump talks via teleconference with his troops in his Mar-a-Lago area in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, November 22, 2018.
President Donald Trump talks via teleconference with his troops in his Mar-a-Lago area in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, November 22, 2018.
Photo: Susan Walsh, AP
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has asserted that US intelligence officials have concluded that the de facto leader of the American Alliance, Saudi Arabia, had ordered the assassination of the United States. an American journalist criticizing the royal family of the kingdom.
Citing the vehement deception of the crown prince and the king they were involved in, Trump said Thursday that "the world should perhaps be held responsible because the world is a perverse place.
Congressional critics and senior officials in other countries accuse Trump of ignoring human rights and giving Saudi Arabia a laissez-passer for economic reasons, including its influence over the global oil market.
Trump said this week that he would not impose tougher sanctions on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the death and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate. in Istanbul last month.
"My policy is very simple: America first, let's keep America big and that's what I do," Trump told the press after a phone call of the day Thanksgiving with members of the army.
The Crown Prince and his father, King Salman, have stated that they have not committed "this atrocity," Trump said.
"It's a terrible thing, I do not like it more than you, but the fact is … they create huge wealth, really huge jobs in their purchases and, most importantly, they keep the price of cheap oil. "
US intelligence has concluded that the Crown Prince had ordered the murder at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey, according to a US official familiar with the assessment. The grievor was not allowed to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Other people familiar with the case warn that although it is likely that the crown prince was involved in the death, questions remain as to the extent of his guilt.
Several lawmakers have indicated that the United States does not have a "smoking gun" proving that the Crown Prince was responsible. They asked the CIA and other intelligence agencies to publicly share what they told the president about the killings.
"I hate crime," Trump said during his Florida vacation. "I hate what's done, I hate camouflage and I'll tell you this – the crown prince hates him more than me."
He said that the CIA "says things back and forth and as I said, maybe he did, maybe not, but I will say very strongly. that it is a very important ally and that if we follow a certain criterion, we will not be able to have allies with almost every country ".
He also rejected the idea that his refusal to further punish the Saudis would encourage other governments to take on journalists and commit other human rights abuses.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States has imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi officials suspected of involvement in the killing.
"We have sanctioned 17 people, some of whom are very highly placed in the Saudi government," said Pompeo during a radio interview with KCMO in Kansas City, Missouri. "We will make sure that the United States always defends human rights."
Saudi prosecutors said that a team of 15 men sent to Istanbul had killed Khashoggi with tranquilizers and dismembered his body, which was not found. These findings came after the Saudi authorities had spent weeks denying Khashoggi's death at the consulate.
Some lawmakers opened investigations into Khashoggi's death and asked whether the crown prince was responsible. Investigations have been requested under the provisions of the Human Rights Accountability Act around the world.
The law requires the president to report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee within 120 days – in this case by February 7 at the latest – as to whether the Crown Prince was responsible for the arrest. an extrajudicial murder, torture or other gross violation of human rights internationally recognized exercise of freedom of expression and decision of the & & & & & et et et et et et et et et et et et et et et et et et administration to justify or not to sanction.
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Colvin reported from Palm Beach, Florida.
