Trump suggests that Mnuchin may not participate in a Saudi event


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"We have not yet made the decision to go there," the president told reporters during a visit to Georgia. He said that a final call would be made by Friday.

Tuesday, Monday, Mnuchin planned to participate in the Future Investment Initiative, while senior bank officials and investors withdrew after the disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a person close to the trip. This person warned that the decision ultimately returned to Trump.

Mnuchin has become the face of the Trump administration's refusal to move away from Riyadh in the face of growing international attention to the fate of Khashoggi, which has not been seen since. his arrival at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on October 2nd.

According to two sources, the Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge that Jamal Khashoggi's death is the result of an interrogation that went wrong and that led to his abduction in Turkey. One source indicates that the report will likely conclude that the operation was carried out without authorization and transparency and that those involved will be held responsible.

One source acknowledged that the report is still in preparation and warned that things could change.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has considered delaying the Saudi conference on investment after the survey, according to a source directly aware of the situation.

It is not known if this is still in the study, according to the source.

The Saudis "must be aware that if they advance in the conference, the story will be" no one will have come forward, "the source said.

CNN received no response after contacting the CEO, the Executive Director and the conference organizers to find out if a delay had been discussed.

The organizers of the event said in a statement Monday that the conference would proceed as planned from 23 October, despite the withdrawal of speakers and sponsors. CNN was among several media organizations to withdraw.

The speakers and sponsors have abandoned the event in increasing numbers.

JPMorgan Chase, CEO of Jamie Dimon, Ford CEO, Bill Ford, and Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, are among those who will not attend the conference. Blackrock CEOs Larry Fink and Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO of investment firm Blackstone, also pulled out.

Saudi's decision by Trump could prompt Congress to control its foreign policy

Kai-Fu Lee, a former Google executive who was on the list of speakers, will no longer participate, told CNN Monday a spokesman for its investment fund, Sinovation Ventures.

The former army general and director of the CIA, David Petraeus, who currently chairs the KKR Global Institute, has also retired, according to a spokesman for the company.

However, Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, told reporters Saturday at the IMF's annual meeting in Indonesia that she was still planning to surrender but that she would pay close attention to the new information on the disappearance of Khashoggi.

Former Assistant National Security Advisor, Dina Powell, who returned to Goldman Sachs after leaving Trump's administration this year, still plans to attend, according to a person familiar with his plans. projects.

The Turkish authorities claim to have evidence that Khashoggi was killed inside the building, an assertion that the Saudis deny vigorously. Saudi Arabia has allowed Turkey to search its consulate in Istanbul on Monday afternoon, a Turkish diplomatic source told CNN.

"Mnuchin will decide as the week progresses and new information comes in," said White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on ABC's "This Week" show.

Trump said that he did not want to compromise the US arms sales to Saudi over the Khashoggi case, but he also repeatedly promised to hold the alleged perpetrators responsible.

"If that were the case, there is something really disgusting and really disgusting," Trump said in an interview with "60 Minutes" aired Sunday. "We will get to the bottom of things and there will be severe punishment."

On Monday, Trump announced that he would send state secretary Mike Pompeo to discuss the situation with Saudi King Salman. He said in Georgia that Pompeo could add a stopover in Turkey. "We want to know what happened – he was instructed to find out what happened," Trump said. "It's a terrible situation."

Mnuchin has been repeatedly called to say that he would still participate in the summit, which is part of the efforts of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernize the country's economy and dispel its dependence. to oil.

The Saudi stop is one of many visits Mnuchin must make during his visit to the Middle East. He will have the opportunity to cancel his visit at the last minute without canceling the entire trip. The secretary must leave at the end of the week.

On Sunday, a spokesman for the Treasury Department told CNN: "We will evaluate the information that will be released this week."

Republican Senator Marco Rubio told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday on "The State of the Union" that he thought Mnuchin should not go to the conference.

"I do not think any of our government members should go there and pretend things are going as usual until we know exactly what happened here." "said Rubio.

Donna Borak and Zahraa Alkhalisi contributed to this report.

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