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WASHINGTON – The Trump administration, faced with new evidence of concealment in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, veered on Monday between defending the value of its alliance with Saudi Arabia and the need to seek answers from the Saudi government.
The White House has sent CIA director Gina Haspel to Istanbul to help the Turkish government investigate the murder, an 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 assassination of Saudi dissident Khashoggi.
Mr. Mnuchin, who canceled his participation in the Saudi Investment Conference this week following the murder of Mr. Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, exchanged views with Prince Mohammed on economic ties. and anti-terrorism initiatives, as well as the investigation into Mr. Khashoggi's death, according to a spokesman for the Treasury Department.
New doubts remain over the Saudi government's claim that Mr. Khashoggi was strangled accidentally after being involved in a hand-to-hand fight with 15 Saudi agents, with the video of the double appearance of a body on Monday. A Saudi agent donned Mr. Khashoggi's clothes after his assassination and left the building to create a series of deceptive evidence, surveillance footage broadcast by Turkey show.
"I am not satisfied with what I have heard," President Trump told reporters before boarding a rally in Texas.
But Trump reiterated the value of the $ 110 billion arms deal he 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 took place at the request of the Saudis, according to a person familiar with the situation. But this added to the portrait of a White House eager to move from the assassination of Mr. Khashoggi to a more routine relationship with his main Arab ally.
The timing, as well as the unusual decision to send Mrs. Haspel to Turkey, pointed out that the fury was far from over. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, promised to give a complete and unadorned account of what happened to Mr. Khashoggi.
Earlier in the day, Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, who was the main contact with Prince Mohammed, compared doubts about the truthfulness of Saudi officials to the treachery the White House treats in Washington .
"Every day we deal with people who are trying to fool us in different ways," Kushner said at a CNN forum in Manhattan. "But our job is to see through, 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 massacre. But Mr Trump has stopped pointing fingers at Prince Mohammed and has steadfastly 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 the country. 39; Iran.
Mnuchin was the first senior US official to meet Prince Mohammed face-to-face since the Saudi government confirmed Friday that Khashoggi had been killed. He had previously insisted that he leave the consulate and then disappear.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry was quick to publish the meeting by posting a photo on Twitter of Mr. Mnuchin sitting in front of Prince Mohammed in a sumptuous reception room, listening to his host.
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 Vision 2030," 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 at fighting the financing of terrorism and reducing Iran's influence in the region, and that the two men had discussed the issue. Khashoggi investigation.
In an interview in Jerusalem on Sunday, Mnuchin said Saudi Arabia needed to do more to show that Mr. Khashoggi's murder was unintentional. But he defended his decision to travel to Riyadh and meet with Saudi officials, saying his visit was aimed at strengthening ties at a critical time, as the United States tried to increase pressure on Iran.
Adam B. Schiff, representative of California, senior Democratic leader of the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives who this weekend claimed to believe that Prince Mohammed was guilty of the murder of Mr. Khashoggi, criticized the decision of Mr. Mnuchin to meet the king.
"If their discussions were about financial matters, I certainly think they should not have gone ahead," Schiff said during a phone interview. "If they were dealing with counter-terrorism issues, it's hard to believe how fruitful they could be."
The meeting took place hours after Kushner declared that the White House was still trying to "establish facts" about Khashoggi's death, but "kept his eyes wide open" while investigation into his murder was continuing.
The reasons for skepticism only seem to deepen on Monday. The revelation that the Saudis have deployed a double body has added to growing doubts about the Saudi explanation of the death of Mr. Khashoggi, 59 years old.
She suggested that there was a premeditated plan to remove Mr. Khashoggi, either by death or abduction, and to conceal it – perhaps contradicting Saudi Arabia's insistence that his killing was the only way to kill him. accidental result of an altercation.
In an interview with USA Today, Trump called the project a "plot that went wrong."
Monday, CNN showed imagesby the Turkish authorities, revealing that the body was walking double around Istanbul, apparently 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 key advisers to the Middle East peace process, has built a strong relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince.
He spoke to Prince Mohammed several times over the past week and was criticized for advising Mr. Trump to wait before making hasty conclusions about Mr. Khashoggi's death.
"I think, again, the president is focusing on what's good for America, what are the strategic interests," Kushner said. "Where do we share interests with other countries, let us work for them?"
He made the remarks during his first television interview since the election of 2016, led by political activist Van Jones, at the "Citizen by CNN" forum in Manhattan.
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 "deceptions" and "lies" on the part of the Saudis in the Khashoggi case, Mr. Kushner gave an answer more moderate.
"We are getting facts from many 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 advice he personally gave to the Crown Prince, he replied, "To be transparent." He added, "The world is watching."
Rejecting criticism of his ties to the Crown Prince, Kushner said he was not paying attention to his critics. At another time, he said he did not take into account the criticisms that if they emanated from someone he respected.
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