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WASHINGTON – President Trump broke off Friday with his own intelligence services, seemingly accepting Saudi Arabia's explanation that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was reportedly killed by accident during a fight, while US spy services are increasingly convinced that he was assassinated at a high level. orders from the Saudi royal court.
Trump, who has cultivated Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and made Saudi Arabia the backbone of his Middle East strategy, has been deeply reluctant to point him out, despite evidence linking him to the Middle East. to Saudi agents entered the country's consulate in Istanbul. the same day that Mr. Khashoggi disappeared there.
During a visit to an Air Force base in Arizona wondered whether he considered the Saudi explanation credible, Mr. Trump replied, "Yes."
The president said that he still had questions to ask Prince Mohammed. He described the killing of Mr. Khashoggi as "unacceptable". Trump also raised the possibility of sanctions against Saudi Arabia, while hoping that Congress will not try to block billions of dollars. dollars in the sale of arms to the kingdom, which he presented as a proof of the fruits of the alliance.
MP Adam B. Schiff (California), a senior Democratic official with the House's Intelligence Committee, said: "The kingdom and all those involved in this brutal murder must be held accountable for their actions, and if the Trump government does not take the lead, the Congress must. "
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and close ally of Mr. Trump, declared in a Twitter post"To say that I am skeptical about the new Saudi story about Mr. Khashoggi is a euphemism." He added"It is difficult to find this last" explanation "as credible."
The growing evidence that Mr. Khashoggi, a Virginia resident and a Washington Post columnist, was killed by order of the Saudi royal family has placed Mr. Trump in an increasingly untenable position.
On Friday evening, the president paid tribute to the Saudi government's statement that the death of Mr. Khashoggi was a good "first step" and a "big step". Earlier, the prince and other senior Saudi officials had denied any role in the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met by telephone with Prince Mohammed on Friday night and then briefed Trump and his national security adviser, John R. Bolton, according to a spokesman for the United States. the White House.
"I think we're about to solve a big problem," Trump told Luke air base, where he was shown an Apache helicopter, an F-35 fighter and a set of bombs. .
For the president, Saudi Arabia has become an essential ally, but also a troublesome partner. Saudi support is essential for his efforts to isolate Iran. But he saw Prince Mohammed pursue a deadly war in Yemen, pursue enmity with his neighbor Qatar, imprison dissidents and imprison hundreds of wealthy Saudis.
Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, has cultivated a relationship with the prince, who is close to him and who, he hoped, would be the advocate of his peace proposal between Israel and the Palestinians.
In internal discussions, Kushner urged the president and his aides not to abandon Prince Mohammed. But as the Turkish authorities revealed information about the assassination of Mr. Khashoggi and the dismemberment of his body, the White House is increasingly isolated in his defense of Arabia. Arabia.
A group of prominent Wall Street executives and technology has canceled plans to attend an investor conference convened by the prince next week in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also withdrew from the conference, although he attended a separate meeting on counterterrorism strategy.
In an interview Thursday with the New York Times, Trump acknowledged that the fury surrounding Khashoggi's death had turned into one of the biggest foreign policy crises of his presidency.
"This has attracted the imagination of the world, unfortunately," said Mr Trump. "It's not a good thing. Not a positive. "
The president also said Thursday that it was still "a little early" in the process to draw definitive conclusions about who ordered the murder. But he expressed no doubt that the truth would soon be revealed.
"We are working with intelligence from many countries," he said, adding, "It's the best intelligence we can have."
On Wednesday, the Times reported that US intelligence was increasingly convinced that Prince Mohammed was guilty of Mr. Khashoggi's death and was preparing an assessment of the White House.
Saudi Arabia has tried to project the idea of a household, announcing that Saud al-Qahtani, close associate of the Crown Prince; Major General Ahmed al-Assiri, Deputy Director of Saudi Intelligence Services; and other senior intelligence officials were fired.
For Mr. Trump, who has been living in the West for three days before the mid-term elections, the Khashoggi affair has become a source of distraction during a period in which he hoped to campaign for Republican candidates at the Congress. inspired by a message of economic growth and recent confirmation from Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Just after answering questions about Saudi's announcement announcement, Trump traveled to Mesa, Arizona, for a "Make America Great Again" rally.
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