U.S. President Donald Trump
Continuing his break with the U.S. intelligence community, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed as "feelings" the CIA’s assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered a journalist killed last month at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
"They didn’t conclude," Trump told reporters at his Florida resort, taking a break for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. "I am sorry. No, they didn’t conclude. They did not come to a conclusion. They have feelings certain ways. They have not concluded, I don’t know if anyone’s going to be able to conclude the crown prince did it."
Trump’s remarks echoed his controversial statement Tuesday saying of the conclusion bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, “maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”
France on Thursday imposed a travel ban on 18 Saudi citizens over their suspected involvement in last month’s killing in Istanbul of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The travel restriction applies to the entire visa-free Schengen area of 26 European states, according to a French Foreign Ministry statement.The statement urged Saudi officials to help uncover the truth about the killing, saying: "Saudi Arabia is expected to provide a transparent, comprehensive, and detailed response on this issue."Bin Salman on 1st foreign tour since Khashoggi killingIf serious human rights violations are found to be involved, France and its EU partners are working on sanctions, it added.Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday said France could impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia over the killing.“We are working very closely with Germany at this moment ... and we will decide over swiftly imposing several sanctions [on Saudi Arabia] based on what we know," Le Drian told Europe 1 Radio.CIA has recording of bin Salman giving order to ‘silence Khashoggi'On Monday, Germany also imposed a travel ban on 18 Saudi citizens suspected of involvement in the killing.The Washington Post reported last week that the CIA had concluded the Khashoggi’s murder was ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After weeks of saying he had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration later admitted he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.Denmark suspends weapon export approvals to Saudi over Khashoggi, YemenSaudis banned Khashoggi for criticizing Trump: Report
Khashoggi case: France slaps travel ban on 18 Saudis
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, weeks later the Saudi administration admitted he was killed there, blaming a rogue group of Saudi operatives.
Trump told reporters the Saudi crown prince denies the killing "vehemently."
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince left his country Thursday for his first visit abroad since the slaying last month of a Saudi journalist in Istanbul, according to the official Saudi SPA news agency.Mohammed bin Salman left the country “on a tour of a number of brotherly Arab countries,” said the Royal Court, according to the SPA.Several countries have imposed sanctions on Saudi Arabia over the Oct. 2 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and a report by the America CIA concluded that bin Salman ordered the killing, according to press reports.CIA has recording of bin Salman giving order to ‘silence Khashoggi'The SPA report said that the visit came at the directive of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and aimed to enhance the kingdom’s regional and international relations.While it did not mention the countries on the prince’s route, Saudi channel Al-Arabiya channel announced bin Salman’s first stop as the United Arab Emirates (UAE).On Tuesday, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Abdulaziz al-Falih said that the crown prince would attend the G20 summit on Nov. 30 in Argentina, as part of a foreign tour.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.After weeks of shifting explanations, Saudi Arabia suggested Khashoggi was killed during a botched rendition operation by rogue agents.Saudi foreign minister says kingdom united around its leadershipTrump's excuses for Saudi Arabia false: influence group
Bin Salman on 1st foreign tour since Khashoggi killing
"His father denies it, the king [Salman], vehemently. The CIA doesn’t say they did it, they do point out certain things and in pointing out those things you can conclude that maybe he did or maybe he didn’t," said the president.
In his Tuesday statement, Trump defended relations with Saudi Arabia despite the killing and said the U.S. may "never know all of the facts" and the country will continue its relations with Saudi Arabia in order to pursue American interests.
Prominent senators including Republican Sen. Bob Corker and Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, lashed out at Trump for his statement, saying they disagree with his decision not to punish Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi killing.
The U.S.’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has a recording of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman giving instructions to silence now-slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to local reports.The report, written by Hürriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi wrote on Nov. 22, claims CIA director Gina Haspel had "signalled" the existence of the recording during a visit to Ankara last month.A Turkish official contacted by Reuters said he had no information about such a recording. Trump's excuses for Saudi Arabia false: influence groupSaudis banned Khashoggi for criticizing Trump: ReportKhashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After initially saying he left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later that he was killed there.His body has yet to be returned to his family amid reports that it was chemically dissolved.In a statement Tuesday, Trump defended relations with Saudi Arabia despite the killing of the journalist amid reports that the CIA had concluded with high confidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder.However, the president said the U.S. may "never know all of the facts" and the country will continue its relations with Saudi Arabia in order to pursue American interests."Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!" Trump said in the statement, which was released by the White House.
CIA has recording of bin Salman giving order to ‘silence Khashoggi'
Slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi was barred from media appearances after criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump in late 2016, according to the State Department.In its most recent report on Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, the department said Khashoggi moved to the U.S. in "self-exile" in September 2017 and "could face arrest upon returning home" due to his writings.The report said Khashoggi's column in Saudi newspaper al-Hayat had been cancelled under political pressure.“In 2016, authorities purportedly banned him from writing, appearing on television and attending conferences as the result of remarks he made that were interpreted as criticizing the president of the United States, according to multiple media sources."Earlier, in July, authorities reportedly lifted the writing ban against him," said the report. The ban came after Khashoggi appeared at a policy forum at think tank The Washington Institute on Nov. 10, 2016 and made remarks critical of Trump’s Middle East policies, describing Trump's stance on the Middle East as "contradictory".Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After initially saying he left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later that he was killed there.Turkey accuses US of turning blind eye to Saudi killing of KhashoggiTrump defends Saudi Arabia despite Khashoggi killingHis body has yet to be returned to his family amid reports that it was chemically dissolved.In a statement Tuesday, Trump defended relations with Saudi Arabia despite the killing of the journalist amid reports that the CIA had concluded with high confidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder.However, the president said the U.S. may "never know all of the facts" and the country will continue its relations with Saudi Arabia in order to pursue American interests."Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!" Trump said in the statement, which was released by the White House.
Saudis banned Khashoggi for criticizing Trump: Report